Detectives Arrest Sexual Battery Suspect From1998 Cold Case (26-046)

PINELLAS COUNTY – On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, detectives assigned to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit arrested a sexual battery suspect from a 1998 cold case.

According to detectives, on March 8, 1998, the victim, who was 20 years old at the time, was at a club in Ybor City with a group of friends but left the club alone. While outside of the club, she was approached by two unknown males who offered to give her a ride home to Pinellas County.

Detectives say that after one male subject was dropped off, the suspect male drove toward Pinellas County and parked in a wooded area on the north side of the Gandy Bridge. The victim attempted to exit the vehicle, but the suspect locked the door and struck her multiple times in the face. The suspect then sexually battered the victim while threatening her with a firearm. The suspect struck the victim several more times, threatened to kill her if she called the police, and ordered her out of the vehicle. The suspect then left, driving toward Tampa.  

Once out of the vehicle, the victim ran and reported the sexual battery to a passerby, who drove the victim to a nearby business to call 911. Deputies responded and due to the serious injuries sustained, the victim was transported to the hospital.

Detectives collected DNA evidence from the victim after the Sexual Assault Victim Examination (SAVE) was completed. This DNA was provided to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) where a profile of the suspect was created and uploaded into national and state databases, but no matches were found at the time.

In October 2018, FDLE announced a new initiative for a genetic genealogy program and in October 2019, accepted the cold case for genealogy mapping. This testing allows detectives to work backward from the identified family member, toward the unknown suspect.

In September 2021, FDLE provided detectives with three names from the suspect family tree to investigate.  Detectives followed those leads and received information to assist in the case. In April 2026, the FDLE Genetic Genealogy Team discovered additional information that led them to the suspect, 53-year-old Lester Austin III. Through investigative techniques, detectives confirmed the suspect was Lester Austin III.

On May 26, 2026, the US Marshal’s Task Force located Austin at his residence and took him into custody. Austin was transported to the Pinellas County Jail for two counts of Armed Sexual Battery.

Additional Information:

Lester Austin III (Suspect – Arrested)
DOB: 02/28/1973
Address: 3317 South 74th Street, Tampa