Inmate A Suspect In MoCo Cold Case Sex Assaults: Police

BETHESDA, MD — A Virginia prison inmate has been charged in two Montgomery County rapes from more than 30 years ago, and there may be more victims, police said Monday.

An arrest warrant was issued on Dec. 9, 2025, charging Carl Rice Jr. of Mitchells, Virginia, with two counts of first-degree rape and kidnapping, two counts of first-degree sex offense, three counts of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault, a police news release said. The charges stem from two separate incidents.

On June 24, 1988, a female victim was leaving the Friendship Heights Metro station when she was approached by an unknown Black male described at the time as about 18 to 19 years old, about 5-feet 8-inches tall, with a chubby face and weighing between 150 and 160 pounds, police said. The suspect pulled the victim across the street, where she was sexually assaulted.

On Sept. 19, 1990, a female victim met a man who identified himself as Kevin and offered her a ride home, investigators said. When the victim became uncomfortable and attempted to get out of the car, the suspect physically restrained her and refused to let her go. He drove to an area in Bethesda, where he sexually assaulted the victim.

In February 2025, detectives received a DNA match connected to evidence recovered from the 1988 assault, which led investigators to identify Rice as the suspect. Because both crimes occurred near the border of the District of Columbia, detectives worked with the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department Cold Case Sex Assault Unit during the investigation.

Rice is serving a prison sentence in Virginia. He has been arrested previously in separate jurisdictions on charges related to rape and sexual assault.

Detectives believe there may be additional victims who have not come forward.

Anyone with information or who believes they may have been victimized by Rice is asked to contact the Montgomery County Department of Police Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070 or Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).