Jackson starts, “Okay then, what is your name?”
“Michael Hernandez, I go by Mike.”
“Mike, do you live here?”
“Yes, with my parents and two brothers.”
“And do you know Mr. Dylan Rogers from across the street?”
“Oh yeah, he’s lived there awhile.”
“Are you aware he was dealing drugs from his home?”
“Yes sir.”
“And you won’t be in trouble here, we just want all the facts. Did you ever buy drugs from Mr. Rogers?”
“No sir, but I see people going there to buy drugs. I’ve heard on the street he sells hard stuff, like heroin and Fentanyl.”
“Tell us what you saw last night.”
“I couldn’t sleep so I got up to play some video games when I heard some noise across the street. Not loud, just some voices.”
“Go on.”
“I look out the window and I see a guy dressed in dark clothing go inside Mr. Roger’s house.”
“Did he force his way in?” asks Garcia.
“It didn’t look like it. He was at the door for about 30 seconds talking to someone, I assume it was Mr. Rogers. Then, he just walked in. I was curious as to what was going on, as it was pretty late.”
“What time was it?”
“It was about four in the morning.”
“Keep going, just tell us what you saw,” states Jackson.
“I guess it was about five minutes or so when the guy comes back out and leaves. He headed that way toward the intersection,” states Hernandez as he points in a south direction. “I lost sight of him at the corner.”
“Can you describe him for us?”
“Sure, he was a white male, pretty tall, with dark jacket and pants, and a pullover hat.”
Jackson continues, “How sure are you he was a white male?”
“Oh, I’m positive. I could see his face when he turned and walked toward me.”
“Wasn’t it dark?”
“Yes, but there was enough light to see.”
“You said a pullover hat?”
“Yeah, just a knit pullover hat. I think it was black.”
“What about facial hair?”
“He had a full beard.”
“Glasses?”
“I don’t remember seeing glasses.”
“How about how he walked?”
“He was moving quickly, but I didn’t notice anything unusual. Oh wait, he was holding his arm close to his body.”
“Was he bleeding?”
“I don’t know.”
“Had you ever seen this person before?”
“No.”
“Could you identify this person?”
“Maybe, I’m not sure though.”
“Okay, thank you so much Mike. We will be in touch,” concludes Jackson.
“Yes, thank you, you’ve been a big help,” agrees Garcia.
Garcia can’t believe their good fortune. “We finally have some evidence that will help us.”
“Yes,” says Jackson, “we now have a more conclusive description and if that blood checks out, he’s likely to be in the system somewhere.”
Garcia calls Ricci on Sunday morning to see how he is doing and wish him well. Ricci says he is recovering, but it will probably be a week before he can return to work. He tells Garcia he has suffered a serious cut on his left hand using a band saw. Some of his tendons are severed and he needed 22 stitches. Garcia shares the details of the latest attack and the fact they may have blood from the suspect, and even a better description of the suspect. Ricci agrees it is good news.
The Following Week
It is Monday morning and there is a new energy in the detective bureau. An updated description has been issued to the public. Calls on people matching the description are starting to filter into dispatch. Officers are being dispatched to check out each one.
“Who would have thought there were this many tall white males with full dark beards and walking with a limp?” muses Garcia.
“People will call in on anyone who is close,” says Jackson. “I’m sure patrol will be overwhelmed.”
Later that afternoon everyone shares the latest information during Commander Marshall’s case review meeting. The big news comes from Criminalist Cindy Cross.
“I do have good news,” announces Cross. “We had our lab technicians come in over the weekend to get this blood tested as quickly as possible. I’m happy to report we did find two separate blood specimens at the scene. There was a mixture of two contributors at the point of the attack. It is a good assumption that during the struggle, the suspect was somehow injured, probably cut, given the amount of secondary blood at the scene. The second contributor of blood inside the house is the same source of the blood collected on the porch, walkway, and some from the front yard. We were able to get a full DNA profile on our suspect. It has already been entered into our state database and will be entered into CODIS this afternoon.”
(CODIS stands for Combined DNA Index System, maintained by the FBI.)
Garcia adds, “We’re starting to do a database search of Illinois arrestees looking for people who match our suspect description.”
“Excellent,” replies the Commander. “Our goal is to get this guy before we have another death. Thank you, everyone. Now let’s get back to work.”
On Tuesday, Garcia calls Ricci to give him an update on the blood findings as well as to see how he is doing.
“How’s the hand feeling?”
“Better than expected,” replies Ricci. “Doctor says he can clear me for light duty on Thursday and I will start physical therapy next Monday.”
“Excellent Mike, we miss you around here. We’ll see you on Thursday then.”
Later that afternoon, Garcia and Jackson are at their desks reviewing reports and statements over a lunch of burgers and fries when Garcia’s phone rings.
“Detective Garcia. Uh-huh, yeah sure, we can head over there this afternoon. Alright, got it, thanks”
“What’s ya got?” asks Jackson.
“Another potential witness. Isabella Santos lives around the corner from Dylan Rogers and believes she may have seen our suspect entering his car last Saturday.”
Both Garcia and Jackson quickly finish
