ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – DNA is key in several recent crime mysteries that police in St. Charles County claim to have solved. One case, involving a suspect’s saliva, was identified faster than one prosecutor says he’s ever seen.

The St. Charles County Police Department Criminalistics Laboratory identified DNA that police say solved a burglary mystery in record time. Forensic scientists examined an iced tea bottle believed to be left behind by a burglary suspect in the victim’s backyard in O’Fallon, Missouri.

Lab Director Bryan Hampton agreed with the investigating officer’s hunch.

“Out of all the items we received in this particular case, that one rose to the top,” he said.

Hampton put a rush on testing due to the likelihood of solving a case. In less than 30 days, the lab identified a suspected serial burglar. He’s since been charged by St. Charles County Prosecutor Joe McCulloch.

“It leads us to much more important things, that allows us to follow up once we identify a suspect like that,” McCulloch said. “There’s other evidence out there we can get, that might not be there six months from now.”

Here’s a breakdown of other lab turnaround times for context:

The St. Louis Police Department Crime Laboratory reported to us that DNA testing averages between 56 and 84 days.

The St. Louis County Police Crime Lab reports DNA testing ranges from 106 to 147 days.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol lab reports its general testing time is 426 days.

Even the St. Charles County Criminalistics Lab acknowledges that average testing times can exceed 300 days, but they’re constantly collaborating with officers to assess what might bring the biggest return.

Hampton called it “working smarter,” adding, “…being able to maybe just have a good idea of the steps of the perpetrator, what they may have touched, what they may have come in contact with, may help us key in on certain areas of an item or certain items.”

It requires a partnership between scientists and police, which is embraced by St. Charles County Police Corporal Barry Bayles.

Corporal Bayles says he often mentions his department’s in-house lab when recruiting new officers.

“The fact your evidence is going to get processed quickly and a priority and you can go right to the source to get information on it. It makes a big difference,” he said.

Like that iced tea bottle from a case that some could have dismissed as a property crime case. That quick testing now has a suspect police call a career criminal facing a possible return to prison.