Seattle police: DNA evidence links 3 unsolved 2014 rapes to one man; sketch released



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SEATTLE -- Police said Wednesday that DNA evidence links three unsolved 2014 rapes to one man and they asked for the public's help to identify the suspect.

The three separate rapes in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood were reported to police in February and July 2014. All three women said they had been walking alone at about 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. when a man pulled up in a dark-colored Ford or Chevy SUV and offered them a ride.

"At the time of the initial investigation in 2014, detectives were unable to identify a suspect due to varying descriptions from the victims, or establish a conclusive link between the three cases," the police department said on its online blotter. "However, with new DNA evidence, investigators now believe one man is responsible for all three incidents."

During additional interviews with the victims in 2018, the women provided additional information indicating the assaults took place in the SUV in the Miller Park Community Center parking lot.

"One of the victims was also able to provide enough detailed information for a forensic sketch. The suspect was described as a Middle Eastern male, in his late 20s to early 30s, shorter than 6 feet tall with a thin to average build and dark complexion. The suspect spoke with an accent," the police department said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Seattle Police Department's Sexual Assault Unit at (206) 684-5575.