Arlington Man Arrested In 1988 Rape, Abduction From Skyline Mall

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County Police arrested 61-year-old George Thomas Jr. of Arlington in connection with the abduction and rape of a 22-year-old woman on Aug. 24, 1988.

The victim was walking to her car after work at Skyline Mall on Leesburg Pike, when two men attacked her and then forced her into her car, according to Ed O’Carroll, the bureau chief of Major Crimes, Cyber and Forensics Bureau, during a Tuesday afternoon news briefing at Public Safety Headquarters.

The men forced the victim to drive to a secluded location in Northern Virginia, where they raped her, according to O'Carroll. They then forced her to drive to another secluded location, where they raped her again.

"It was a horrible, tragic and profoundly horrifying series of events," O'Carroll said. "The victim thankfully was able to escape in her car and fled the scene following the second assault."

At the news conference, O'Carroll was joined by Chief Kevin Davis and retired Detective Dick Cline, who responded to the crime in 1988. Police were able to produce a composite image of the suspect based upon what the victim told them.

They also gathered DNA evidence from the victim's vehicle, but were unable to obtain a match over the intervening years on either the Virginia or national DNA databank.

O'Carroll credited good old-fashioned police work as being the key in cracking the case. An enterprising fingerprint analyst was able to match Thomas' fingerprint to one taken from the victim's vehicle back in 1988.

Thomas had recently had his fingerprints taken by Alexandria City Police for an unrelated infraction. FCPD was able to determine that Thomas has a younger brother who was deceased.

"Advanced DNA analysis confirmed that the deceased man, Gregory Allen Thomas, was one of the two offenders," O'Carroll said.

Shifting their focus to the older brother, detectives retrieved a cigar that they'd observed George Thomas smoking and then discarded. They were able to match DNA evidence from the cigar with that obtained by police in 1988.

Detectives pulled the blood cards associated with the brother's autopsy and were able to confirm that Gregory Allen Thomas, George Thomas' younger brother, was one of the two offenders wanted in the case.

With the assistance of Metro Transit Police and the U.S. Marshall Service, FCPD arrested Thomas around noon on Monday at the Friendship Heights Metro Station. Police charged George Thomas with two counts of rape, abduction, and sodomy. He is being held in custody without bond in Montgomery County Detention Center, awaiting extradition to Fairfax County.

"It does give you a sense of resolve to finally have some closure for this victim," said Cline, who retired from the department in 2007. "It is rewarding that even though it's more than 30 years later, it's a blessing from above that finally some justice will prevail."

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call 703-814-7000. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477). Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of up to $1,000.