Two women were sexually assaulted while sleeping at Gateway Regional Park on two separate occasions. News4’s Drew Wilder reports on the broader issues the two incidents have exposed in the community.
Police in Fairfax, Virginia, released a sketch Thursday of a suspect wanted in two separate sexual assaults at a park.
The attacks happened in Gateway Regional Park on Pickett Road on Oct. 10 and Oct. 20, the City of Fairfax Police Department said.
The suspect sexually assaulted a woman who was sleeping on a park bench on Oct. 10 just after 10 p.m. Ten days later, another woman who was sleeping in the park overnight was sexually assaulted.
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Police described the suspect as a Hispanic man in his early 20s who is about 5 foot 3 to 5 foot 7 inches tall with a slender build.
The suspect took off on a bicycle after both incidents.
Police are asking anyone with information to call 703-385-7953.
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Near the park, The Lamb Center, which serves people experiencing homelessness, helped both victims.
"The thing that would've kept these women out of trouble is if they had a place to live," The Lamb Center Director Tara Ruszkowski said.
Ruszkowski said these attacks are drawing attention to a hole in the system.
Victims of domestic violence can access help, but there's not a system set up for those who experience homelessness and are attacked by strangers.
"You could go into the homeless shelter system but there is a waitlist and there's no prioritization for women or men who have been assaulted to be prioritized and get a shelter bed sooner. So, we're looking at probably a couple month waitlist for these women to get into a shelter," said Deb Haynes, with The Lamb Center.
