A Florida man convicted of raping a woman in her Midtown apartment more than 20 years ago was just sentenced to decades behind bars.
Jancys Santiago was ordered to serve 20 years in prison, then five years of post-release supervision, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced in a statement on Wednesday. He was found guilty back in September of rape in the first degree and burglary in the first degree in connection with the 25-year-old case.
On May 23, 2000, the 27-year-old victim returned home to her apartment and discovered Santiago hiding in her closet, officials said.
Santiago then “forced her into her bathroom, claiming that he had a knife and gun, and threatening to kill her,” the statement said. “He tied her arms and feet with a wire hanger and raped her.”
A DNA profile was created for the suspect based on evidence from the victim’s rape kit, but authorities were not able to identify him. In 2005, it was logged into the system under “John Doe.”
It wasn’t until 2023 that Santiago was identified and charged with the May 2000 rape and linked to a second rape that occurred in the Bronx the following year. In that case,, he is accused of entering the 21-year-old victim’s residence while she slept. “He allegedly covered her face, bound her with a wire hanger and raped her,” the Manhattan DA’s press release noted.
Officials noted the DNA profile in the Bronx case matched John Doe’s from the Manhattan case.
Santiago was living in Florida at the time he was identified through investigative genetic genealogy, funded by a three-year, $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office to solve cold cases. He was extradited to New York to face charges following his arrest
The case in the Bronx remains open and pending.
