A Halloween attack on three teenage girls trick-or-treating in Dale City has been linked to a serial rapist police say has preyed on victims along the East Coast since 1997.
On Wednesday, law enforcement officials from Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut and Rhode Island issued a plea for information in the 13-year crime spree, which involves the rapes of 16 women and teens, the attempted rape of a 41-year-old woman and a case of “peeping Tom” in Rhode Island. DNA links all of the cases, police said.
The latest attack happened on Halloween night at 9:10 p.m.
Three teenage girls told police they were walking near Glendale Plaza in the 4300 block of Dale Boulevard when a masked man with a gun forced them into the woods near the Pitkin’s Ace hardware store. He made the girls – two of them 17 and the other 16 – lie on the ground and then raped two of them, police said.
The two victims — both from Dale City — were treated at a local hospital.
In all of the cases, the victims described their attacker as black with a medium build and in his 30s or 40s. He was often seen riding a bicycle and wearing a mask or hoodie. In three of the cases, he threatened his victims with guns. In five others, he used a knife. In one, he used a screwdriver.
The attacks began in February 1997 in Forestville, Md. In all there were five attacks in Maryland, four in Alexandria, one in Leesburg and one in Dale City. DNA linked the suspect to a peeping Tom case in Cranston, Rhode Island in November 2006 and a burglary and rape in New Haven, Conn., in November 2007.
The women targeted have been black, Hispanic or white and range in age from their teens to 40s.
“No one deserves to be a victim of a violent crime… if you take a look at the facts we know we are asking the public to think and to look at people they know, whether it is a loved one, a friend, a family member, an acquaintance. The interesting points to us is not just the physical description … it’s the timeline of these cases,” said Fairfax County police Chief David Rohrer.
Authorities think the man is familiar with the areas in which he committed his crimes.
“It is believed that the suspect lives in, or spent a considerable amount of time in, or was otherwise familiar with the area of the attacks,” said Prince William police Chief Charlie T. Deane.
Investigators said the man may have grown up in the Prince George’s County area based on information victims there told police, but said the man could have family or relatives to the north, where two of his crimes occurred.
One puzzling note about the case timeline is the unexplained halt in reported attacks, between late December 2001 and late November 2006. Police said investigators have been working with a criminal profiler on the cases, but could not offer any reasons why they thought the serial rapist took a five-year hiatus between attacks.
Police declined to distribute a sketch of the man, as the drawing is more than five years old. Investigators said many of the man’s physical features could have changed since the sketch was produced.
Police were not able to provide a description of the type of car the man may be driving, but a Prince George’s police spokesman said in three of the five cases that occurred in that county, witness said the man was seen riding a bicycle.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. Callers don’t have to give their names, just the information, and can earn up to a $1000 cash reward.
Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.
Date/Time
Location
Victim
Synopsis
Link
2/19/96
6800 Blk, Marlboro Pike, Forestville MD
1 Victim
25 yoa
Victim was walking home when suspect produced handgun and raped the victim.
DNA
08/20/1997
4600 Silver Hill Rd, Suitland MD
1 Victim
18 yoa
Victim was walking home when suspect confronted her with a knife and raped her.
DNA
07/03/1998
2900 31st Ave
Temple Hill, MD
2 Victims
16 yoa-Assaulted
18 yoa-Witness
Victim was walking with a friend when the supect grabbed the victims and raped them
DNA
06/19/1999
Richmond Hwy/Memorial St
AlexandriaVA
1 Victim
19 yoa
Victim was walking , the suspect followed her, threatned her with a knife and raped her.
DNA
01/13/2000
7300 Fordson Rd
Alexandria VA
1 Victim
Victim was walking when suspect came up behind her and put a knife to her throat, robbed and raped her.
DNA
7/8/2000
1900 Beechwood Rd Hyattsville, MD
1 Victim
Victim was walking when suspect approached her, produced a knife and raped her.
DNA
11/20/2000
Timber Forest Dr/Edsall Rd
Alexandria VA
1 Victim
35 yoa
Victim was walking when the suspect grabbled her and tried to rob and rape her. The victim resisted and the suspect left
DNA
05/24/2001
Plaza St
Leesburg VA
1 Victim
41 yoa
Victim was walking when the suspect grabbled her and tried to rob and rape her. The victim resisted and the suspect left.
DNA
08/16/2001
4500 23rd Parkway
Temple Hills MD
2 Victims
20 yoa
14 yoa
Both assaulted
Both victims were walking when the suspect produced a handgun, and raped the victims.
DNA
12/28/2001
3700 block Rolling Hills Alexandria, VA
1 Victim 29 yoa
The victim was waiting for a bus, suspect threatened her with a knife and raped her
DNA
11/28/2006
Valley View Dr
Cranston RI
3 Witnesses
39 yoa
11 yoa
11 yoa
*Peeping Tom/B&E*
The complaintants stated they saw the suspect looking into their sliding glass door.
DNA
01/10/2007
Smith Ave
New Haven CT
1 Victim
27 yoa
*Burglary*
Victim awoke to find suspect in her bedroom. He then raped her.
DNA
10/31/2009
4300 Dale Blvd
Woodbridge VA
3 Victims
17 yoa-assaulted
17 yoa-assaulted
16 yoa-witness
Vicims were trick or treating when suspect approached with a handgun. Victims one and two were raped the third victim was not assaulted.
DNA
Map of rapes ini the Washington area linked to the serial rapist:
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