LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies in Lake County said a man has been arrested 18 years after a violent sexual attack.
Larry Franklin Tucker Jr. was arrested in Ohio on Oct. 9 in connection with a horrific assault that occurred in Tavares 18 years ago, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators, with the help of Parabon NanoLabs and genetic genealogy research, identified Tucker Jr. as a suspect after matching his DNA to evidence collected from the 2007 crime scene.
According to a report, on Oct. 22, 2007, an unknown man entered the home of a 65-year-old woman in Tavares, attacked her, and violently sexually battered her for 2 hours before leaving on foot.
The suspect’s DNA was initially entered into CODIS in 2007, but no matches were found in the database.
In 2018, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it partnered with Parabon NanoLabs to generate a Parabon Snapshot Phenotyping report using DNA from the crime scene.
Snapshot Phenotyping predicts physical traits and ancestry based on genetic biomarkers, generating a composite image of the suspect’s appearance.
In November 2018, Parabon NanoLabs developed a DNA profile suitable for genetic genealogy databases, leading to the identification of a person of interest in Ohio.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Tucker Jr.’s DNA, which matched the suspect profile from 2007.
Following his extradition to Lake County, Tucker Jr. was booked into Lake County Jail on Oct. 19, 2025.
Detectives are continuing the investigation and urge anyone with information on Tucker Jr. to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrest of Larry Franklin Tucker Jr. marks a significant breakthrough in a case that remained unsolved for nearly two decades, thanks to advancements in forensic technology and genetic genealogy.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
