Tavares, FL — On October 22, 2007, a 65-year-old woman was assaulted in her home in Tavares. Despite collecting the suspect’s DNA at the scene and entering it into CODIS, no matches were identified for years.
In 2018, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Parabon NanoLabs to generate a Snapshot Phenotyping report from the DNA, predicting the suspect’s physical traits and ancestry to aid in the investigation. Parabon also developed a DNA profile suitable for upload into genetic genealogy databases, allowing law enforcement to pursue investigative leads through genetic genealogy.
Since January 2022, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Genetic Genealogy Investigations team and Parabon NanoLabs conducted extensive genealogy research. In October 2025, the investigation produced a lead pointing to a suspect in Ohio.
Detectives, working with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Tiffin Police Department, obtained a DNA sample from the individual. On October 8, 2025, the FDLE Orlando Crime Laboratory confirmed a match to the 2007 crime scene DNA.
Based on this match, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Larry Franklin Tucker Jr., charging him with Sexual Battery, Occupied Burglary with Battery, and Kidnapping. Tucker Jr. was arrested in Ohio on October 9, 2025, booked into Sandusky County Jail, and later extradited to Lake County, where he was booked into the Lake County Jail.
The investigation remains active, and anyone with additional information about Tucker Jr. is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
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