New DNA machine helps solve crimes in 90 minutes, Lee County Sheriff says

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno unveiled his office's in-house rapid DNA testing machine Thursday morning, describing the technology as a major boost to the department's investigative work.

What is rapid DNA testing?

Nearly all law enforcement agencies in Florida send their DNA samples to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for analysis -- a process that can take weeks or months.

The machine at the Sheriff's Office, made by the Colorado-based company ANDE, can analyze DNA samples within 90 minutes and test up to five samples at a time, Marceno said. The Lee Sheriff's Office is one of four in the state with the technology, joining Orange, Voluisa and Osceola counties.

"This technology is a game-changer for the Lee County Sheriff's Office, and the time saved is critical to our success in an investigation," Marceno said.

The machine can test DNA swabs, blood, saliva, skin, hair, cigarette butts and other items containing potential DNA samples, Marceno said.

Is it accurate?

ANDE's technology matched the results from conventional DNA testing in 99.96 percent of cases, according to a 2020 study by researchers from Tor Vegeta University in Rome.

A generous gift

The purchase of the $250,000 machine was funded by Dr. Carol Rae Culliton, a Cape Coral-based philanthropist who founded the Gunterberg Charitable Foundation. She also founded the Brother of Heroes Resource Center and Museum in Cape Coral, which honors military veterans and first responders.

Culliton, who lived in Chicago and Pennsylvania before moving to Southwest Florida 14 years ago, has been donating to local law enforcement for about 12 years, she said.

"I live and I work in this community, and knowing there is this kind of technology available makes me appreciate and love my community even more." Culliton said.

Marceno thanked Culliton for her donation, describing her dedication to supporting the agency as "inspiring."

How has the machine helped?

The Sheriff's Office obtained the machine just less than a year ago and has used it to analyze 166 samples, Marceno said, including in cases of sexual assault, homicide, robbery and animal cruelty.

Last June, investigators used the ANDE machine to identify a homicide victim whose body was dumped off of Sophomore Lane in Fort Myers, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office also used the technology to rapidly identify Lee County residents who died following Hurricane Ian, Marceno said.