Florida man gets 25 years for 2001 Bronx rape cracked through investigative genetic genealogy

A Florida man was sentenced Friday in a Bronx rape case that dates back nearly 25 years. 

Jancys Santiago, 51, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of the December, 2001 attack that took place inside a college student's Bronx apartment while she was sleeping. 

Santiago is the first person in New York to be convicted following the use of investigative genetic genealogy, in which crime scene evidence is used to develop a DNA profile. That profile is then checked against consumer DNA databases in a search for genetic relatives who agreed to assist law enforcement. 

"This defendant committed a heinous crime. He then went about his life for 22 years while the victim endured the physical and emotional trauma of the assault. But thanks to investigators who did not give up and advancements in forensic science, the case was ultimately solved. I hope the decades this defendant will spend in prison will offer some comfort to the victim," Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said. 

Santiago was previously convicted of raping a Manhattan woman, and sentenced to 20 years in prison in that case. Friday's 25-year sentence will run consecutively.