Cigarette butt, DNA help police crack case on 2013 Cape copper heist

Cape Girardeau County sheriff’s deputies filed an arrest warrant Thursday for a New Madrid, Missouri, man based on DNA evidence left at the scene of copper theft July 16, 2013, on Nash Road.

The Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney’s office charged John Hunter Jungers, 29, with felony stealing Thursday. Jungers remained at large as of Friday. He is on probation for theft of a credit card or letter.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Travis Sikes investigated the theft of about 30 feet of copper wire at a trucking company in the 3800 block of Nash Road, according to a probable-cause statement filed in the case. A company employee saw the trailer that contained copper wire had its lock cut off and replaced with a different lock, Sikes wrote. Inside the trailer were a Marlboro cigarette butt, an empty Powerade bottle and a pocket knife, according to the statement.

Sikes submitted the cigarette butt to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab and received a report March 13 a DNA profile had been developed, according to the statement. The lab sent a report March 30 the DNA profile from the cigarette butt matched Jungers, who had DNA information in the national combined DNA index system.

Sikes received a search warrant April 25 to collect swabs from inside Jungers’ cheek, according to the statement. Jungers submitted to the swab tests April 27. On June 27, the swabs were shown to be a match to the DNA profile from the cigarette butt found at the scene of the theft.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

3800 block of Nash Road, Cape Girardeau County, Mo.