Serial Rapist Suspected in Attack on Elderly Woman

An elusive serial rapist who has plagued the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach for at least three years is suspected of sexually assaulting an elderly Huntington Beach woman, police said Tuesday.

Investigators said they linked the rapist to the latest attack because the crimes share similarities through undisclosed “physical evidence.” Detectives from Long Beach and Huntington Beach are working together.

In the latest case, the assailant entered the home of the victim through an unlocked window about 1:10 a.m. June 11, according to Huntington Beach Police Lt. Chuck Thomas.

The victim did not get a good look at the man but was able to describe him as a dark-skinned, 30- to 35-year-old man about 6 feet tall with a medium build.

At least six Long Beach women have been assaulted by the rapist, who always enters through an open door or window. The women range in age from 29 to 79, said Long Beach Police Officer Jana Blair, and all were alone at the time of the attack.

In all the cases, the victims’ faces were covered, preventing them from getting a good description of the attacker. In some of the cases, the intruder was naked and wore nothing but a mask and gloves, officials said.

The string of attacks began in January of 1997, but police are now in the process of checking state databases and DNA tests to determine whether the man might be linked to earlier crimes.

The last assault in Long Beach involved a 76-year-old woman on April 2. In that case, the attacker entered through an unlocked window and immediately covered the victim’s face with a cloth, officials said. He then sexually assaulted her.

In late 1998, Long Beach police arrested a suspect, but he was released after DNA tests exonerated him.