How a pair of sunglasses led to an immigrant's arrest in Florida
Oscar Amaya-Guevara was arrested and charged with a third residential burglary. (Photo: Martin County Sheriff's Office)
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. - A man who was living in the U.S. illegally has been detained by deputies – and the arrest was made possible using… a pair of sunglasses?
Oscar Amaya-Guevara was arrested and charged in a third residential burglary after deputies linked him to the unsolved case using DNA pulled off a pair of sunglasses, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
The first burglary happened in late 2023 in the Hobe Sound area. That burglary went unsolved, but two other burglaries happened in the same area, according to deputies.
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Amaya-Guevara was charged with one of those burglaries, and became the primary suspect in the other two unsolved cases, the sheriff's office said.
Oscar Amaya-Guevara was arrested and charged with a third residential burglary. (Photo: Martin County Sheriff's Office)
In the burglary Amaya-Guevara was charged with, he allegedly broke into a house while a teen was home. That teen confronted him and live-streamed video of Amaya-Guevara to his father as he "violently threw her to the ground," deputies said.
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Using his DNA, detectives were able to match the DNA taken from the sunglasses in the unsolved cases. That identified Amaya-Guevara as the burglar, the sheriff's office said.
Oscar Amaya-Guevara was arrested and charged with a third residential burglary. (Photo: Martin County Sheriff's Office)
"DNA analysis has traditionally been associated with solving violent crimes such as homicides and sexual assaults. However, advancements in forensic technology have made it feasible for our detectives to apply these methods to a broader spectrum of criminal activities with success," the Martin County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. "In the Hobe Sound case, the sunglasses served as a critical piece of evidence. Despite the lengthy process required to obtain DNA results, the conclusive identification of the suspect underscores the value of DNA in criminal investigations."
Authorities also determined that Amaya-Guevara entered the U.S. illegally from Honduras and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been notified.
"This case highlights the complexities of tracking not only traveling criminals from our region, but undocumented criminals who are much harder to locate," the sheriff's office said.