A serial rapist suspected of three attacks in Dallas has been linked to two additional rapes in northwestern Louisiana, police officials announced late last week.
Thomas Castro, deputy chief of the Dallas Police Department, said investigators there have received information from detectives in Bossier City, about 190 miles from Dallas, that makes them think the cases are all linked.
The suspect in all five cases is believed to be a teenager.
"Detectives believe these cases may be related based on similarities in the suspect description and his actions during these offenses," Castro said during a news conference Friday.
Castro, who had gone public with information on the Dallas cases earlier in the week, said detectives reached out to other agencies, including some across the state line in Louisiana. It was through that coordination that the similarities in the attacks were discovered.
"This individual knocks on the door and solicits either work or money and then forces his way into an apartment, displays a weapon and sexually assaults these women," Castro said.
Watch Castro’s most recent news conference on the serial rapist below.
Two women were raped a mile apart from one another on Sept. 12 and Sept. 19 in north Dallas. Both attacks occurred in broad daylight in the women’s homes.
In the first case, the alleged attacker knocked on the victim's door around 10 a.m. and, after soliciting a donation for an undisclosed charity, forced his way inside, police officials said in a news release. In the second case, he sought work from the victim, knocking on her door around 8:30 a.m. the day of the attack.
The third Dallas victim was attacked at gunpoint around 4 p.m. Oct. 30 in her apartment, which is located about 8 miles away from the first two crime scenes. Again, he solicited work from the victim before pushing his way inside.
In one of the cases, the victim worked with a sketch artist to come up with a drawing of the man she said raped her, investigators said. The perpetrator is described as young and black, believed to be between 16 and 19 years old, with a box fade haircut.
He is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. The attacker may have had a mark or injury on his wrist around the time of the assaults.
He was last seen wearing black pants, a black T-shirt with something white on the front, a black jacket and black and red athletic shoes, officials said.
The description of the accused rapist and his manner of gaining access to the women's apartments are similar to those in attacks that occurred in Bossier City this past spring, Castro said. Traci Landry, a spokeswoman for the Bossier City Police Department, told The Shreveport Times that the attacks there occurred on March 29 and April 11.
"To date, this suspect has not caused any serious injuries, but this type of crime has a potential to escalate," Castro said. "So I ask for the students at these high schools in this area of Dallas that may have befriended a young man that looks like this, and that this guy gave information that he is from the Bossier City/Shreveport area -- we need to speak to those students.
“We need them to come forward. We need them to give us a name. And that would go for the educators at these high schools, as well.”
Castro also pleaded for assistance from family members of the attacker.
"He may be your son, your grandson, your nephew or even a cousin," the deputy chief said. "We need you to come forward.
“We’re not doing this young man a favor by keeping his identity hidden.”
Anyone who knows a person who meets the suspect description, who was in the Shreveport/Bossier City area during March and April of 2018 and who is currently in the Dallas area is asked to contact Detective Todd Haecker at 214-671-3610 or todd.haecker@dpd.ci.dallas.tx.us. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 214-373-8477.
Crime Stoppers is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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