Police Release Composite Of Germantown Rapist From DNA Evidence

GERMANTOWN, MD — Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department continue to investigate six reported residential burglaries and rapes of women between June 19, 2010 and September 2, 2012. These crimes are believed to have been committed by the same suspect, and DNA left behind by the rapist has provided police with a sketch depicting what the unidentified man might look like now, police recently announced.

The man is accused of breaking into women's homes, ages 37 to 95, in the Germantown area and attacking them after midnight. In each case, the man allegedly broke into the homes or snuck in through an open door or window.

Police gathered DNA (body fluids) from three of the cases and the samples matched, which indicated a single attacker. Detectives recently sought the services of Parabon NanoLabs, a DNA technology company in Virginia that specializes in DNA phenotyping, or the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence.

The phenotyping process found that the man was primarily of Western African descent. He likely had brown to dark brown skin, black hair, and brown or hazel eyes, police said. The process can predict the shape of the man's face, but cannot suggest the man's age, height or weight.

With the release of the suspect composite, detectives are hoping someone will recognize the suspect and call the Police Department.

The man is accused of the following crimes, police said:

• On June 19, 2010 at approximately 3:20 a.m., the suspect gained entry into the 68-year-old woman’s home in the 20300 block of Beaconfield Terrace in Germantown and sexually assaulted her. Suspect DNA evidence was recovered in this case.
• On August 21, 2010 at approximately 4:15 a.m., the suspect forced entry into the 86-year-old woman’s home in the 2100 block of Father Hurley Boulevard in Germantown and sexually assaulted her. Suspect DNA recovered matched the suspect DNA recovered from the June 19, 2010 sexual assault.
• On January 5, 2011 at approximately 12:45 a.m., the June 19, 2010, 68-year-old victim was raped again after the suspect gained entry into her home. Suspect DNA evidence matched the DNA evidence from the previous two rapes suspect.
• On August 28, 2011 at approximately 12:45 a.m., the rape of a 37-year-old woman occurred after her home was broken into in the 900 block of Clopper Road in Gaithersburg. Suspect DNA evidence recovered from this rape was inconclusive.
• On July 31, 2012 at approximately 9:17 p.m., the rape of a 95-year-old woman occurred after her home was broken into in the 2700 block of Avena Street in Wheaton. No DNA evidence was recovered from this rape.
• On September 2, 2012 at approximately 4:10 a.m., the rape of a 54-year-old woman occurred after her home was broken into in the 18100 block of Metz Drive in Germantown. No DNA evidence was recovered from this rape.

If You Have Information:

Anyone with information regarding the suspect or anyone that believes he/she may have details that might advance this investigation is urged to contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070. For those who wish to remain anonymous, Crime Solvers of Montgomery County is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the suspect(s). Tipsters can call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Photos via Montgomery County Police Department: Snapshot Suspect Composite/Sketch created by a victim of one of the sexual assaults that depicts a red baseball hat with white embroidered vines and leaves. The victim reported that the suspect wore this hat during the sexual assault.