Cecil County man indicted on rape, attempted murder that left woman unconscious 20 years ago
BALTIMORE - A man has been indicted of attempted murder and rape that left a woman unconscious in a ditch more than 20 years ago in Cecil County.
Bryant Nakia White, 48, from Edgewood, Maryland, has been charged White with attempted second-degree murder, kidnapping, first- and second-degree rape, assault and other criminal charges related to an incident in April 2002.
White is currently held at the Cecil County Detention Center without bail.
On April 6, 2002, police said a 20-year-old woman was the victim of a brutal attack that left her unconscious and, in a ditch, off of Frenchtown Road near Port Deposit, Maryland.
Police received a 911 call shortly after 4:00 a.m. that morning from the driver of a tractor-trailer who noticed her on the side of the road on I-95. He stopped to provide assistance.
Police said during the initial investigation, the scene was processed by crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division where numerous evidentiary items were collected, including photographs.
The initial investigation also included a forensic medical examination where DNA was collected and stored as evidence. During the course of the investigation, few leads were generated and the investigation was ultimately suspended.
In March 2020, an investigator from the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division re-opened the 2002 case for the alleged attempted murder and rape in Cecil County. Since the date of the incident until March 2020, investigators were unable to obtain any DNA hits for the suspect.
The Maryland State Police requested assistance from the FBI Baltimore Division regarding their use of investigative genealogy. A person of interest, Bryant White, was ultimately identified and arrested at his home on November 10 without incident in connection with the 2002 criminal case.
The Cecil County State's Attorney's Office convened a grand jury. Evidence developed during the investigation was presented to the grand jury. The grand jury deliberated and handed down the indictment on December 7, 2022.