Crime & Safety
Blood Trail Led to DNA Match in Affton Burglary, Police Said
St. Louis County Police said Tracy Vail Richards broke a windowpane and left a trail of blood, enabling officers to match his DNA.
A man was accused of a burglary in South County in which a handgun and several other items were reported stolen.
Tracy Vail Richards, 38, of Fredericktown, was charged March 4 with second-degree burglary, felony theft and stealing a firearm.
St. Louis County Police said Richards broke a windowpane in a rear door to enter the home in the 400 block of Tiffany Drive in South County. Police said he cut his hand, leaving a trail of blood. A DNA sample matched Richards’ profile.
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Police said Richards broke into the home on July 18 or July 19 and stole the following items:
- Acer laptop computer
- Three flat-screen televisions
- Jewelry
- Knives
- Gun holsters
- $760 cash
- Drill
- Toolbox
- Leather jacket
- Air mattress
- .22 cal Smith and Wesson handgun
- .380 cal Bersa handgun
Richards is being held by the Missouri Department of Corrections’ Moberly Correctional Center. He was on parole after serving several years of an 8-year sentence after pleading guilty to a burglary in the city of St. Louis.
Find out what's happening in Affton-Shrewsburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
For more crime information on Affton-Shrewsbury Patch, see the following articles:
- Woman Arrives Home to Find Stranger Carrying Her TV
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