Crime & Safety
DNA Match Links Berwyn Man to River Forest Burglary
One year later, authorities say bloody evidence leads to arrest.
A Berwyn man has been charged in connection with a River Forest garage burglary after DNA evidence from a bloody drape linked him to the crime, authorities said.
Police said 23-year-old Joe Bautista broke a garage window in the 1500 block of Clinton Place last July in an effort to steal a Trek bicycle.
While the caper was successful, Bautista apparently left behind a spot of blood on a drape near the broken window, police said. That fabric sample was sent to the state police crime lab and entered into what's known as the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), and authorities said a DNA match implicated Bautista.
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Arrested at his Berwyn home on Tuesday, Bautista, of the 1600 block of South Euclid Avenue, later admitted his involvement, police said. He was charged with one count of residential burglary.
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