WASHINGTON – A grand jury indicted the DNA profile of the “D.C.-area hotel rapist” who attacked women fro 1998 to 2006 Tuesday, but local police and FBI are still seeking information that would lead to an arrest of the suspect.
According to the FBI, this is the first time a John Doe DNA profile has been indicted in Washington D.C., but the suspect’s identity remains unknown.
The indictment of the DNA profile enables the prosecution of the suspect if found in the future, despite the 15-year statue of limitation of rape in Washington D.C.
The serial rapist violently assaulted six to nine women in the D.C. area between August 22, 1998 and February 6, 2008, and six of these attacks have been definitively linked by DNA to a single assailant, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Some of these locations include Washington D.C., Greenbelt, Silver Spring and Hyattsville.
Hotel housekeepers were the majority of the victims in these cases, as the assailant entered hotel rooms, threatened the housekeepers using items such as a box cutter and raped the victims.
The assailant is described to be an African-American male. between 5’7″ to 5’10” tall with a medium to stocky build, brown eyes and medium to dark complexion. He is currently believed to be in his late 30s to late 40s.
“Working with the public and our law enforcement partners, we are hopeful that we finally will be able to hold this serial rapist accountable for his brazen crimes,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “DNA evidence has enabled us to push this case forward and we are hopeful that this DNA profile, and the community, can help us finally achieve justice. Despite the passage of time, we have never forgotten these victims.”
The age-progressed composite sketch, created by Parabon NanoLabs, was not made by eyewitness acounts but from DNA that was left behind by the assailant.
The FBI, Metropolitan Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, Prince George’s Police Department, Greenbelt Police Department and Arlington County Police Department are offering a combined reward of up to $45,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the unknown suspect. Law enforcement agencies are asking anyone with information to contact Washington Metropolitan Police Department at 202-727-9099 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or https://tips.fbi.gov. Additionally, anonymous tips can be submitted to the MPD’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.
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