Thirteen sexual assaults and attempted assaults over almost 13 years have been linked by DNA, according to Prince William County police.
The first attack took place in Maryland in January 1997, and the most recent was in Dale City, Va., on Halloween, when a gunman forced three teenage trick-or-treaters into a wooded area and raped two of them.
The assailant's crimes aren't limited by geography nor the age or race of the victim. He has targeted black, Hispanic and white women ranging in age from teen to the early 40s, police said. And after nine incidents in Virginia and Maryland from 1997 through 2001, the culprit was linked to a peeping-tom incident in Rhode Island in 2006 and a rape in Connecticut in 2007.
It appears the man wasn't just passing through Connecticut and Rhode Island, either. Authorities believed he was very familiar with the areas of the attacks and may have either lived in them or spent a lot of time in them, police said.
But authorities believe his home base likely is the D.C. area. Among the linked crimes are five rapes in Prince George's County and four attacks in Fairfax County.
The FBI is assisting law enforcement in each state with the investigation.
Anyone with information about the case should call Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS.
