Man tied up and raped 2 women decades ago, NY officials say. Now DNA leads to arrest

A 48-year-old man was arrested after DNA linked him to two women who had been raped in New York decades ago, officials said.

Jancys Santiago is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman in their New York apartments in 2000 and 2001, according to a Dec. 14 news release by the Bronx County district attorney’s office.

In 2000, Santiago broke into the 27-year-old’s apartment, and when she arrived home, he forced her into the bathroom, tied her up with a wire hanger and raped her, officials said.

DNA was taken from the woman’s rape kit, and a donor profile was created, officials said.

Santiago is accused the following year of sneaking into the 21-year-old’s apartment while she was sleeping, tying her up with a wire hanger and raping her, officials said.

Evidence taken from her rape kit matched the 27-year-old’s donor profile, the district attorney said.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance issued a three-year, $500,000 grant to the Bronx County district attorney’s office for cold cases, allowing for evidence to be sent to a private lab so genetic genealogy could be conducted, the release said.

DNA found at the scene linked the crime to Santiago, and he was arrested in Groveland, Florida, about 40 miles west of Orlando, officials said.

Santiago, formerly of the Bronx, was extradited to New York and arraigned Nov. 9, the district attorney said.

Santiago appeared in court Nov. 15 on charges of rape. His bail was set at $1 million on Dec. 12, officials said.

This story was originally published December 18, 2023 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Man tied up and raped 2 women decades ago, NY officials say. Now DNA leads to arrest."