A 71-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a 1999 burglary and rape in North Naples after investigators matched cold-case DNA to a fork he used at an Arizona restaurant, Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk announced.
Terry Lynn Denton faces a sexual battery charge following a multi-agency investigation that marks the Collier County Sheriff’s Office’s first arrest solved through forensic genetic genealogy.
The assault took place on June 2, 1999. Authorities said the victim returned alone to her North Naples apartment after spending the evening at a jazz club in Bonita Springs. As she unlocked her front door, a man grabbed her from behind, covered her mouth, forced her inside, and sexually assaulted her before fleeing.
The victim was treated at a local hospital, where medical staff collected and preserved a sexual assault kit. Semen DNA recovered during the exam produced no hits in the national CODIS database, and the case eventually stalled.
In August 2025, investigators sent the DNA evidence to DNA Labs International for forensic genetic genealogy testing. By February 2026, analysts provided investigators with a family tree report that narrowed the search down to two persons of interest, including Denton.
Detectives tracked Denton to Glendale, Arizona, and requested assistance from the FBI. Federal agents monitored Denton at an area restaurant and collected discarded items after he left the table, including a drinking glass, straw, spoon, and a metal fork.
On June 18, 2026, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) confirmed that DNA lifted from the fork matched the semen sample preserved from the 1999 assault. FDLE analysts noted the profile was more than 700 billion times more likely to belong to Denton than an unrelated individual.
Collier County detectives secured a search warrant to collect a direct buccal swab from Denton and traveled to Arizona with Glendale police officers. During an interview at his residence, Denton denied living in Collier County in 1999. Detectives presented state records showing he held a Florida driver’s license with a Naples address in 1998 and lived less than a mile from the crime scene at the time of the attack.
In July, FDLE lab results confirmed the direct mouth swab matched the crime scene DNA.
“This arrest is a testament to the determination of our detectives and the incredible advances in forensic science,” Sheriff Rambosk said. “For 27 years the victim waited for answers. Thanks to forensic genetic genealogy, the persistence of our detectives and the invaluable assistance of the FBI and our other law enforcement partners, we can finally hold the person responsible accountable.”
“The FBI is committed to pursuing violent offenders wherever they are found, and we were proud to assist the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in advancing this cold case toward justice,” said Rodney Crawford, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division. “No offender should believe that time or distance will shield them from accountability. Advances in forensic technology—combined with relentless investigative work—ensure victims are never forgotten and those responsible are ultimately held accountable, no matter how long it takes.”
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Unit arrested Denton this week in Sarasota County. He remains held at the Sarasota County Jail pending extradition to Collier County.
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