PDA

View Full Version : Corona rapist on the loose



topless
05-16-2007, 07:56 AM
CORONA, May 14, 2007 (CNS) - A serial rapist suspected in a string of attacks on women in the Inland Empire going back more than a decade has surfaced again, and police are asking the public's help to identify him, authorities said Monday.
In the latest attack, a Corona woman was sexually assaulted last Tuesday night in her home in the 600 block of Morningside Drive, according to Corona Police Sgt. Neil Reynolds.
Like several previous assaults, the suspect, described as a tall, blue- eyed white man in his 30s, snuck into the victim's home through an unlocked door.
"All of the attacks are connected," Reynolds said. "It's the same MO, the same description. And now we have DNA evidence, but no name."
The suspect wears a knit cap with eyeholes cut out to mask his face, Reynolds said.
The first attack attributed to the rapist was in January 1996, when he sexually assaulted a woman in the carport of an apartment complex in the 3900 block of Pierce Street in Riverside, according to Reynolds.
Investigators said the man struck again in the same neighborhood at an apartment nine months later, then on two additional occasions -- in the exact same area -- in October 1996.
During two assaults, the suspect left semen on apartment doors, Reynolds said. And in each case, the victims were threatened with a weapon, he said.
"We're pretty confident this guy spent time before each attack scoping out his victims," Reynolds said.
Besides the attack this month, the same rapist is suspected in two other assaults on Corona women -- one on April 1, 2006, in the 300 block of Richey Street, and another on February 22 of this year in the 500 block of Richey, Reynolds said.
After one attack, investigators recovered semen which matched that from the earlier Riverside assaults, according to Reynolds.
"There is a 10-year gap between when the crimes stopped in Riverside and when they started in Corona," Reynolds said. "We don't know if that means the guy was in jail, out of the area, or what. But somebody out there knows where this guys is."
In the meantime, women living in areas where the assailant has been active should be vigilant, keep their doors and windows locked at all times, and be observant for anyone who might be watching them, Reynolds said.
Corona and Riverside police investigators are combining efforts, combing police records and looking for potential clues, Reynolds said.
The public is encouraged to come forward with any information that might help the case, even if they believe it's unimportant, Reynolds said.
"The least little thing might help us identify this guy," Reynolds said.
Anyone with information was encouraged to contact the Corona Police Department Investigations Tip Line at (951) 817-5837, or Riverside Police Detective Linda Arnold at (951) 353-7119.