New federal grants help State Attorney’s Office work through hundreds of sex assault cases

Jacksonville, FL — The Fourth Circuit State Attorney’s Office is investigating hundreds of sex assault cases, where they’ve received DNA hits as a result of processing a backlog of rape kits. Now, new federal funding will allow them to expand the team that’s tackling those efforts.

Florida overall made a big push to clear that backlog, with the Fourth Circuit- covering Duval, Clay, and Nassau- submitting around 1,700 kits, all of which were completed by last year. More than 400 of those resulted in DNA hits, according to Assistant State Attorney Coreylyn Crawford, and they’ve already had more than a dozen arrests as a result.

“There are several hundred investigations still ongoing that need to be completed. So, the number, we anticipate, will go up,” she says.

Until now, Crawford has been the only prosecutor on these cases, but new federal funding will allow them to bring on two more, as part of their multidisciplinary team that works these investigations. Specifically, a $1.5 million grant is funding the team for another three years, including investigative elements like prosecutors and law enforcement, as well as victim advocates, a survivor, and a sex assault nurse.

“The working group is critical in making sure survivors’ needs are met, and that we’re handling these cases accordingly,” Crawford says.

They continue to figure out best practices as this group develops, including the recent addition of the sex assault nurse. Crawford says that adds an exciting element, because the team and their approach are always evolving, although they are consistent in approaching the cases through the lens of victim-focused and trauma-oriented.

“Every day, we’re working diligently and really hard to make sure that every hit and every case gets dedicated attention, and we’re just striving for truth to make sure that we’re seeking justice for those people and the survivors that have waited for it for so long,” she says.

Another grant- $880,933- will go toward expanding DNA databases, according to the SAO.

Crawford says there are many people with prior arrests or convictions who qualified under law to be required to submit a DNA sample, but the sample wasn’t taken for a number of reasons. This funding will allow investigators to go back to those people and get the sample, which can then be entered in to the national DNA database CODIS.

“Whether he’s somebody that his DNA is owed and we will go back and collect it, or in years to come, if an individual is convicted or arrested for a qualifying offense, and the hit may hit to someone in years from now,” Crawford says.

She says they have several hundred cases where a DNA profile was found, but there was no match to any existing samples in these databases, so collecting new samples- which they are lawfully able to obtain- could bring leads in those cases. One of the new prosecutors they’re bringing on to the team will work with JSO in this effort.

Crawford says this $2.3 million overall gives them the resources they need to continue their work to bring justice for the victims.