New Effort Launched To Catch 'East Coast Rapist'
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- "Like a lion looking for prey." That's how one woman describes the man who raped her inside her own apartment. Police say that same man is behind dozens more attacks stretching from New England to northern Virginia.
Andrea Fujii explains the first attacks happened in Maryland.
The first billboards have also gone up. They're along I-95; one is on Russell Street.
Police call him a bold and fearless predator. His reign of fear and violence has lasted more than a decade. It began in Maryland and spread to three other states. There have been 17 attacks, possibly more, and many have been in Prince George's County and northern Virginia.
"He was armed with a handgun and mask. He led them into a wooded area where he sexually assaulted the girls," said Fairfax County Police Department Detective John Kelly.
Police are now putting his image on billboards, six of them in high-traffic areas throughout Baltimore. They hope a media blitz that includes a detailed website will spark attention and solve this case before he strikes again.
"People are checking the billboards and are fully aware of what's going on on the streets," said one person.
His DNA has never been linked to any criminal database. He has a deep voice and likes to hang in the shadows, always studying his victims and always on the hunt for the next one.
Police may use a message called familial DNA, which allows them to check databases for any relatives that could match. That technique captured the "grim sleeper," Lonnie Franklin, Jr., who murdered at least 10 women in California.
For all police know about the "East Coast Rapist," he remains a mystery---stalking, raping, then vanishing. He may be planning his next attack. That's why the billboards are so important and why corridors on I-95 are part of the media blitz. Police believe he could be a long-haul trucker or in the military.
For more information, visit the website http://eastcoastrapist.com.
