SAN ANTONIO — A 55-year-old is in custody and accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl in 1998—a crime police say they were able to connect him to through DNA evidence.
Arthur Quiroga was arrested by San Antonio police on Tuesday and is charged with sexual assault for the crime that occurred 26 years ago.
On July 21, 1998, SAPD was dispatched to the city’s south side for a report of a sexual assault of a minor, according to SAPD Public Information Officer Washington Moscoso. The suspect allegedly used a firearm to threaten and abduct the teen, and proceeded to sexually assault her.
“She [the victim] didn’t know him…we [SAPD] didn’t know who he was at the time," Moscoso said. "Had it not been for the CODIS kit…he had not been on our radar."
The victim was found by officers and taken to a local hospital where a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination (SANE) was conducted.
It wasn't until more than a quarter-century later that police zeroed in on a suspect. Moscoso said on June 27 of this year, SVU detectives matched the DNA of the suspect to a sample taken from the 1998 case.
A search warrant was then issued for Quiroga's DNA for comparison and confirmation at a Bexar County crime lab. On July 11, Moscoso said, the results came back positive: Quiroga is the man police were looking for for nearly three decades.
Quiroga was on probation when he was arrested. His criminal record dates back to the 80's.
“As a department… we don’t stop trying to find justice for any kind of victim that comes to us for help,” said Moscoso. “We are just so grateful that we were able to effect this arrest today and try to get this victim some closure and one step closer to justice.”
Moscoso also urges anyone who may have also been victimized by Quiroga to contact police. Click here to find more information on submitting an anonymous tip to SAPD.
What is a CODIS kit?
According to FBI.gov CODIS is the acronym for the Combined DNA Index System and is the generic term used to describe the FBI’s program of support for criminal justice DNA databases as well as the software used to run these databases. The National DNA Index System or NDIS is considered one part of CODIS, the national level, containing the DNA profiles contributed by federal, state, and local participating forensic laboratories.
For more on CODIS kits, click here.
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