DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A Georgia man has been arrested in connection with a sexual battery cold case dating back more than a decade after advances in DNA technology helped investigators identify him as a suspect.
Jose Bello, 39, was arrested May 5 on a charge of attempted sexual battery of an incapacitated victim.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred Jan. 20, 2013, during an event called Igloo South Florida near the 2600 block of SW 31st Street in Dania Beach.
The victim told investigators she became incapacitated at the event, later waking up in an unknown vehicle with two unknown men. Her pants had been pulled down. One of the men left DNA evidence on the victim.
BSO investigated the case for years without significant leads before it went cold.
In November 2025, BSO’s Special Victims Unit was reassigned to the case and submitted the DNA evidence to the Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS. The search returned a match to Bello.
Investigators then presented the victim with a photo array and she identified Bello as familiar to her, more than 13 years later.
Detectives coordinated with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia to obtain a DNA warrant, traveled there to interview Bello and collected a fresh sample.
BSO’s crime lab confirmed it matched the original evidence recovered from the victim.
Bello is currently in custody. He is expected to be extradited to Broward County.
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