BSO Arrests Suspect in 2015 Tamarac Kidnapping, Sexual Battery Cold Case

by Sharon Aron Baron February 25, 2026

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BSO Arrests Suspect in 2015 Tamarac Kidnapping, Sexual Battery Cold Case 3

Melvi Kendrick {BSO}

More than a decade after a woman was kidnapped and sexually battered in a Tamarac apartment complex parking lot, Broward Sheriff’s Office cold case detectives have arrested a suspect through renewed DNA analysis.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that 59-year-old Melvin Kendrick was arrested Feb. 19 in connection with the July 10, 2015, attack.

According to investigators, the victim was leaving an apartment complex around 11:30 p.m. and walking to her vehicle when she was approached by a stranger. The man grabbed her, threatened to kill her, and forced her into a waiting vehicle, where a second man was inside.

Detectives said the men threw the victim’s phone out the window and drove to a secluded area of the parking lot, where she was sexually battered.

The victim escaped by opening the car door and jumping from the moving vehicle. She ran to a nearby business and called for help.

The case was investigated in 2015, but with few leads, it went cold. Forensic evidence collected at the time revealed potential DNA profiles, which were entered into a national database. No matches were identified.

In December 2024, BSO’s Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation. The DNA evidence was re-examined and submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s DNA database. The results identified an inmate who was a possible close family member of one of the attackers.

Further investigation led detectives to identify Kendrick as a potential DNA match. Investigators interviewed Kendrick and collected a DNA sample. The Broward Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab compared his DNA to the evidence collected in 2015 and determined it was a positive match.

The case was filed with the Broward County State Attorney’s Office, and an arrest warrant was issued.

BSO’s Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response (V.I.P.E.R.) Unit located and arrested Kendrick on Feb. 19. He faces one count of sexual battery and one count of false imprisonment.

Investigators said the identity of the second suspect remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective David Towsley at 954-321-4210 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app. Anonymous tips can be made to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), online at browardcrimestoppers.org, or by dialing **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States.

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Sharon Aron Baron

Sharon Aron Baron is the Editor of Tamarac Talk, Coral Springs Talk, Margate Talk, Coconut Creek Talk and Parkland Talk. Tamarac Talk was created in 2011 to provide News for the residents of Tamarac and is the #1 News Source for Residents.