Deputies found the suspect when they got a DNA hit on a relative of the suspect, who now lives in Tennessee.

PINELLAS COUNTY – Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies said they have solved a 1988 rape case by using “familial” DNA.

The rape victim is now 82 years old.

Larry Eugene Gould, 54, was arrested Friday (Jan. 10)  in Gallatin, TN, where he currently lives. He was charged with one count of Armed Sexual Battery.

An arrest warrant was obtained through the Pinellas County State Attorney’s Office. Gould was taken into custody by the Gallatin Police Department on Friday.  He was taken to the Gallatin Police Department where he was interviewed by Pinellas County sheriff’s detectives. Gould was booked into the Sumner County, TN, Jail, and will be extradited to the Pinellas County Jail.

According to detectives, Gould did not dispute the DNA evidence but denied raping anyone. He told detectives he would have consensual sexual relations with people within their open business and within minutes of meeting them.

The rape happened about 1:50 p.m. Sept. 24, 1988 at 5539 Park Street N (Carrie Hawkins Distinctive Gifts) in St. Petersburg.

Deputies said that,on that day, a man in his mid-twenties entered Carrie Hawkins Distinctive Gifts and asked the victim, who was working alone, for help. During their conversation, Gould produced a knife and ordered the woman into a back room of the store. The woman was threatened and sexually battered at knifepoint before Gould fled the business.

Pinellas deputies responded to the scene, collected evidence, and a SAVE examination was conducted. However, no suspects were able to be identified.

In 1994, detectives reviewed the case by conducting more interviews and additional evidence was submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

In 1996, a male DNA profile was developed from the collected evidence. The suspect profile was entered into the local, state and national level of CODIS, but there were no matches. Numerous suspects were developed, but were either eliminated through DNA or incarceration.

Detectives in the Cold Case Homicide Unit began a review of the case in November 2017, and were able to eliminate several suspects with additional DNA samples. The suspect’s profile remained in CODIS with no matches being found.

In February, detectives completed a written request with the State Attorney’s Office to the FDLE Familial Search Review Committee. The committee reviewed and approved the request to expand the DNA search to possible family members of the suspect.

On Sept. 6, detectives were contacted by the FDLE Genetic Genealogy Team who said a familial hit had been received from a search in this case. The search revealed a convicted offender in the database was a direct male relative of the unidentified DNA suspect profile.

Using this lead, investigators found that the 54-year-old Gould was a possible suspect. Gould was 23 years old at the time of the crime and lived in Pinellas County.

Detectives contacted the Gallatin Police Department and the Sumner County District Attorney’s Office in Tennessee for help. On Nov. 15, the Gallatin Police Department obtained a search warrant to collect a DNA swab directly from Gould. The sample was collected and sent to FDLE for testing.

On Tuesday (Jan. 7), FDLE told Pinellas detectives that the DNA sample collected from Gould matched the previously unidentified DNA suspect profile collected from the victim in 1988.

Pinellas Sheriff | Crime | Rape | Arrests | Tampabay News | News Tampa

#PinellasSheriff #Crime #Rape #Arrests #TampabayNews #NewsTampa