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Prosecutors focus on trace evidence in rental car during Rodgers trial

Posted at 7:30 AM, Oct 15, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-15 07:53:34-04

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Another piece of evidence the state is starting to focus more on is the rental car the state says Jimmy Rodgers and Curtis Wright took from Missouri to Florida.

The state has already gone over how Wright took a Hyundai Elantra to Southwest Florida. They have the GPS logs from the trip.

They also caught Jimmy Rodgers with Wright on surveillance video from two gas stations along the way, and the Walmart in Fort Myers.

Now they're focusing on trace evidence the state found in the car. So they re-called forensic analyst Kimberly Van Waus to the stand to talk about the process of collecting that evidence.

“I used a pair of sterile tweezers and an envelope, and I literally picked up trace evidence off the floor and the seat of the left front seat and floor and the right front seat and floor.”

Jimmy Rodgers murder trial: Crime scene technician Kimberly Van Waus returns to the stand

That forensic technician added she also searched the interior of the car for fingerprints and vacuumed for evidence.

She says specifically she was looking for hair from Rodgers and Wright, pet hair from the Sievers' two cats and dog, and any blood inside the car.

The state did not ask if there were any hair matches, but Van Waus did say there was one positive blood swab.

She was not asked if it matched any of the suspects.

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