Lead detective describes evidence in 1989 brutal gang rape
In 1989, Hammond, Indiana, was being terrorized by a series of bump and rob crimes. What this meant was if you were a female driving, a group of men would bump your car from behind and then attack you. Retired Hammond Detective Lieutenant Mike Solan explains his version of how the evidence led him to the arrests in a 1989 bump and rob-turned brutal gang rape.
The day before the brutal gang rape occurred, a car was stolen from the Interlude Hotel in Gary, Indiana. Retired Hammond Detective Lieutenant Mike Solan later theorized that the assailants took the plates off the stolen vehicle and put it on the one used in the crime.
A Look at the Evidence
This clue was left at the scene. The victim was still clutching on to a pair of coveralls when she was dropped off near the Hammond, Ind., Airport after being gang raped. She told police that these coveralls -- also known as greens -- were used to cover her face while the assailants attacked her.
A Look at the Evidence
This is the jacket the victim wore on the night of the crime. The attackers used it to wipe themselves after each one raped the victim. Investigators were able to get DNA off semen stains left behind.
A Look at the Evidence
Detective Solan also obtained DNA evidence from the victim's sweater. The assailants also used it to wipe off their semen.
A Look at the Evidence
These are other items belonging to the victim. Detective Solan says she had a gun inside her purse, which was stolen by the assailants that night and recovered years later. They also stole her jewelry, which was never recovered.
A Look at the Evidence
Solan was driven by the green coveralls left with the victim after the attack. He tracked them down to a scrap metal management company called Luria Brothers and it was there that he made his five arrests.
A Look at the Evidence
The victim's description of the car that was used for the attack led Solan to also arrest the owner of this car, a 1973 green Catalina Pontiac. Solan says the plates from the stolen car reported from the Interlude Motel the night before the attack, were placed on this car and it was used for the rape.