Blood Trail Led to DNA Match in Affton Burglary, Police Said

A man was accused of a burglary in South County in which a handgun and several other items were reported stolen.

Tracy Vail Richards, 38, of Fredericktown, was charged March 4 with second-degree burglary, felony theft and stealing a firearm.

St. Louis County Police said Richards broke a windowpane in a rear door to enter the home in the 400 block of Tiffany Drive in South County. Police said he cut his hand, leaving a trail of blood. A DNA sample matched Richards’ profile.

Police said Richards broke into the home  on July 18 or July 19 and stole the following items:

• Acer laptop computer
• Three flat-screen televisions
• Jewelry
• Knives
• Gun holsters
• $760 cash
• Drill
• Toolbox
• Leather jacket
• Air mattress
• .22 cal Smith and Wesson handgun
• .380 cal Bersa handgun

Richards is being held by the Missouri Department of Corrections’ Moberly Correctional Center. He was on parole after serving several years of an 8-year sentence after pleading guilty to a burglary in the city of St. Louis.

For more crime information on Affton-Shrewsbury Patch, see the following articles:

• Woman Arrives Home to Find Stranger Carrying Her TV