For more than two decades, a violent sexual battery in Golden Gate remained unsolved, the suspect unknown. But after 21 years of silence, a hit in a national DNA database has finally given detectives a name.
Authorities announced that Rossel Moises Ponce Chirinos, 46, has been identified as the suspect in the 2004 attack. He is currently in custody at the Cocke County Jail in Tennessee, awaiting extradition back to Southwest Florida to face charges of sexual battery and armed burglary.
The breakthrough is a victory for forensic science and tenacious police work.
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“This was a heinous crime and our detectives have been intent on solving it since Day One,” Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said. “We never give up. No matter how much time has passed, we will continue using every investigative tool available to identify offenders and pursue justice for victims.”
The cold case dates back to the early morning hours of August 28, 2004. According to investigators, a masked intruder armed with a knife broke into a woman’s home and sexually battered her. While detectives collected DNA evidence at the scene, technology at the time yielded no matches, and the trail eventually went cold.
Everything changed on December 9, 2025.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) notified the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) of a significant lead. A routine search of the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) had flagged a potential match between the unknown suspect’s DNA from 2004 and a profile recently entered into the system.
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That profile belonged to Chirinos. Detectives discovered he was sitting in a Tennessee jail cell after being arrested for driving without a valid license. His DNA had been collected during that booking process and uploaded to the national database.
CCSO detectives moved quickly, coordinating with the Cocke County Sheriff’s Office to obtain a fresh DNA sample from Chirinos to verify the hit. Within days, the FDLE confirmed the sample matched the genetic material left at the crime scene 21 years ago.
On December 23, Collier County Circuit Judge Amanda Levy-Reis signed an arrest warrant. It was served to Chirinos in his Tennessee cell, formally charging him with the decades-old crime.
Officials are now finalizing arrangements to transport Chirinos back to Collier County, where he will finally stand trial.
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