DNA Evidence Provides Lead in 2017 Kirksville Jewelry Store Burglary

A suspect has been identified in a 2017 burglary of a Kirksville jewelry store. A commercial burglary previously took place at Gardner-Collier Jewelry in Kirksville on June 2nd, 2017. A significant amount of jewelry was stolen and damage was done to the property. Investigators swabbed for DNA and examined the scene for latent fingerprints. Monday the Kirksville Police Department received a potential break in the three-year old case, when they received a call from the Yankton Police Department in South Dakota. The call revealed that the Yankton Police had investigated a similar jewelry store burglary in 2008. Through DNA evidence from that burglary they were able to link a 68-year old Las Vegas, Nevada man to both the Yankton and Kirksville jewelry store burglaries. The suspect has a lengthy criminal history with convictions for burglary, armed robbery, assaults with weapons, and drug crimes. In addition to the Kirksville and Yankton burglaries, the suspect is believed to have committed similar jewelry store burglaries throughout the midwest and northwest. The Kirksville Police Department will continue to investigate the burglary and intend to pursue criminal charges against the suspect through the Adair County Prosecutor’s Office.