MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A new rapid DNA testing program in Marion County produced a potential database match one day after technicians processed evidence through the system.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office received approval July 17 to become a partner agency in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Forensic Rapid DNA Program.
Technicians processed the agency’s first two pieces of evidence Monday. The following day, one generated a hit in the Combined DNA Index System, commonly known as CODIS.
A CODIS hit indicates a potential match to another DNA profile in the law enforcement database and can help connect crimes to each other or to known offenders.
The sheriff’s office said it became the first law enforcement agency in the country to receive a CODIS result from forensic evidence through this type of rapid DNA partnership.
Rapid DNA technology has previously been used to process samples collected from people during booking. However, crime-scene evidence processed through rapid systems was not eligible for entry into CODIS until new FBI standards took effect July 1, 2025.
Marion County began working with FDLE in January 2025 to update its laboratory policies, validate its equipment and meet national accreditation standards.
Before the new program, the sheriff’s office said its average wait for DNA results was 170 days in violent crime investigations and 466 days in nonviolent cases.
“This partnership will help bring swifter justice to those who seek to victimize the residents of our county,” Sheriff Billy Woods said.
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