Austin Police Seek Public's Aid In Solving String Of Sexual Assault Cases [UPDATED]

After issuing an earlier advisory, police released information related to specific sites where the reported sexual assaults have taken place. No specific data on block numbers were given.

In response to a media request, they also outlined the times and dates of each occurrence:

Dates and Times:
Dec. 27, 2015 approximately 6 p.m.
Jan. 17, 2016 approximately 6:30 a.m.
Jan. 18, 2016 approximately 9 p.m.
Jan. 23, 2016 approximately 5:40 p.m.

According to police, the areas where the sexual assaults reported in the article below have taken place are:

• Hwy 290 at U.S. 183
• Duval Road at Floral Park
• Along Northgate Boulevard

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From earlier Thursday:

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN-UT, TX -- Police are seeking help from the public to try to solve a string of sexual attacks of women that have been done in similar fashion.

Incidents centered in North Austin have all taken place in common areas--parking lots, walkways corridors, stairwells and the like--police said in a Thursday advisory.

In each case, the offender has attacked each victim from behind, proceeds in trying to wrestling the female victims to the ground and proceeds to sexually assault them.

Police wouldn’t say if they believe there is just one individual launching the attacks. But in each case, the culprit covers his face in an attempt to shield his identity.

Police also weren’t sure if the offender was armed or unarmed in each incident.

The male suspect is described as either Caucasian or Hispanic, about 5’ 9” in height of average build.

Despite referencing a particular part of the city in which the incidents have taken place in their advisory, police didn’t release data related to block numbers or city sectors where the sexual attacks have occurred.

Following a media request for such information from Patch, a police spokeswoman said investigators would work toward providing that that information once it’s compiled.

The spokeswoman added that police plan a press conference Thursday afternoon related to the incidents.

As police continue their investigation, they ask anyone with information on the incidents call the Austin Police Department’s Sex Crimes unit.The telephone number is (512) 974-5230.

Recently, there have been two sexual assaults in the area eerily similar tactics as the ones described in Thursday’s police advisory.

On Jan. 18 in South Austin, a woman was assaulted during her morning run in the 900 block of Grove Boulevard in the Silver Oak neighborhood. She told police she was grabbed from behind around 10 a.m. as she jogged in the Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metropolitan Park just north of the Austin Community College-Riverside campus.

In that case, police released grainy footage of a suspect fleeing on foot after the incident.

Four days earlier, on Jan. 14, a woman in Cedar Park told police she, too, was grabbed from behind before being sexually assaulted while on a morning run.

A Cedar Park police representative told Patch about a week after that case was reported that no update on the case is available. She said police there would apprise the public on the progress of their investigation as warranted.

While they continue to investigate the case, police issued a list of safety tips.

• Be aware of your surroundings.

• If you have your hands full, have a plan in case you are attacked.

• Limit distractions. Keep the volume down on your headphones or use just one earphone in order to hear and be alerted to approaching hazards.

• If attacked in an apartment complex remember other apartments are close by so yell in order for neighbors to hear you.

• Exercise with a friend. In case of an emergency, you can help each other out.

• If you have to exercise solo, let at least one friend or family member know your route, expected return time, and description of your clothing.

• Make sure your cell phone is fully charged.

• Walk in well-lit and populated areas if possible. If not, have a light source handy.

• Carry identification and include name, phone number, and medical information (allergies, medications, medical history) Consider listing an emergency contact number.

• Use discretion when acknowledging strangers.

• If you believe someone is following you, call 911 as you move to a safe place. Stay on the phone until police arrive.

• Report any suspicious persons to 911.