'Blow Torch Rapist' Strikes Again In Detroit
DETROIT (WWJ) - He's been dubbed the "Blow Torch Rapist" and Detroit police say he's struck again.
The latest attack occurred just before 7 a.m. Wednesday in a largely abandoned neighborhood near Plymouth and Meyers roads the city's west side.
A 43-year-old woman told police she was leaving a gas station when a man came behind her and put a gun to her head. The woman said her attacker forced her into a car, ripped off her clothes and began burning her face with a blow torch.
Police say the victim stabbed the man in the eye with a screwdriver and was able to get away and call for help. She's currently hospitalized in stable condition.
The suspect fled the scene in a small, 4-door, beige vehicle. He's described as a black male with a dark complexion, in his early to mid-20s, about 6'2" tall and 185 pounds. .
Police believe the suspect is the same man who attacked two women last July. The women were found just miles apart in vacant fields – both severely beaten and without any clothing.
The first woman was found around 5:50 a.m. July 26 in the 12800 block of Eaton, near Meyers Road and Lyndon Street. Police say the 37-year-old was physically assaulted and had burn marks on her body. Just over 24 hours later, the second woman was found around 7 a.m. July 27 at Elmira and Iris Streets, near Plymouth and Meyers roads. Police say the woman was set on fire and sexually assaulted. Although both women were left in critical condition after the attacks, they survived.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Detroit Police Department's Sex Crimes Unit at 313-596-1950 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.