A single cigarette butt left on a back porch may have been the clue that finally unraveled a string of burglaries plaguing a St. Augustine neighborhood, The Citizen has learned.
According to papers filed by St. Augustine Police, DNA found on the discarded cigarette matched 41-year-old Willie Kennedy—an individual investigators say has been tied to multiple break-ins in the same area over recent weeks.
The affidavit states that a homeowner on Spring Street returned shortly after noon on Nov. 26 to find his house in disarray.
A wooden box sat out of place on the kitchen counter. His bedroom dresser had been pulled open and rummaged through. A black visor, which the victim said did not belong to him, had been left behind.
Outside, a chair had been positioned beneath an open rear window, and pry marks scarred the frames of three exterior doors.
Police say several items were missing, including a pressure washer, a red road bicycle, a silver pocket multi-tool, a folding knife and a pair of tennis shoes—valued in total at more than $750.
Damage to the property, investigators wrote, appeared to be consistent with forced entry.
Detectives collected both the visor and the cigarette butt for forensic testing.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, DNA on the visor could not conclusively include or exclude Kennedy.
But the cigarette told a different story, with analysts reporting the genetic profile was “700 billion times more likely” to belong to Kennedy than to an unrelated individual.
Investigators noted that Kennedy appeared in unrelated surveillance footage the next day holding a cigarette, and asserted in the affidavit.
He now faces felony burglary raps, and the case is ongoing.
