RSS
|
Mobile
|
Daily Emails
|
We Twitter
| Make us your home page
Investigators from several rural counties are working together to identify and arrest a man who may have raped several elderly women across the state, including some in the Brazos Valley.
Authorities said they aren't positive that all the cases are related, but they know of at least eight incidents in which an elderly woman who was alone in her home was either beaten, sexually assaulted or harassed under comparable circumstances this year.
"We have a lot of points that are very similar," said Bell County Sheriff's Office investigator James Lewing. "They could be linked, but we cannot sit there and say that they are definitely linked."
The most recent incident occurred Saturday, when an 88-year-old Centerville woman reported hearing footsteps inside her home and fired a gun several times in an attempt to defend herself and call for help, authorities said. That woman escaped unharmed, authorities said, but others haven't been so lucky.
DNA obtained from crime scenes link the January rape of a 90-year-old woman in her Lavaca County home and a July sexual assault of a 77-year-old woman in her Marquez home, authorities said.
Two women in their 90s were sexually assaulted in east Bell County near the Milam County line. One was attacked in August and the other in September.
An 80-year-old Falls County woman was raped near Marlin on Wednesday, authorities said.
In September, a woman in Leon County was attacked and robbed in her home, and a Bell County woman reported receiving strange phone calls asking if she would be at home at night.
All of the incidents have been at night, and investigators said the circumstances indicated that the attacker staked out the houses in advance. Phone lines to some of the houses were cut before the attacks, officials said.
But authorities have warned residents that they should be careful at all times of day.
"All of our incidents have occurred in the night hours," Lewing said. "But we don't want to get locked in and start thinking that it is only going to occur in the night hours and it is only going to occur to the elderly because they might change up. We want people to be aware and be vigilant about watching out."
Authorities have hosted town hall meetings in Milam, Leon and Bell counties to warn and educate residents.
"We have been telling people to turn lights on outside," Lewing said. "If you have dogs, listen for them. Don't be giving information out over the phone and just be aware of the situation and keep your windows and doors secure."
In Leon County, one official is telling residents who don't have guns to sleep with either hair spray or wasp spray in their bed.
"They can spray it in his face if they're attacked," said County Judge Byron Ryder. "Wasp spray is probably better because you can spray it from farther away."
Each county is investigating the incidents within its borders, but detectives have met to share information. The Texas Rangers are assisting, officials said.
"We are trying to coordinate and we are also assisting in any way we can," said Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Rangers.
Authorities aren't releasing a description of the culprit because the physical attributes noted by each victim are too general and would only cause panic, officials said.
"Of course people are upset," Ryder said. "They are on guard and they don't know what to expect."
