Smelly, Shoeless Serial Rapist Has Resurfaced in the University of South Florida Area

A serial rapist who has attacked six woman in the University of South Florida area seems to have resurfaced. The foul smelling, shoeless rapist may be the same one that has previously attacked in the past. Lab results are being done to see if this is the same rapist that committed acts in 2003.

A foul-smelling, shoeless serial rapist who has attacked six women and possibly a seventh in the University of South Florida area has resurfaced this summer and may have struck again only a week before classes started.

Police are awaiting the results of DNA testing of the latest victim, raped Aug. 19, to see if the same man who committed the other six between August 2003 and June of this year is to blame.

Though none of the victims have been students or faculty at the Tampa-area university and none of the rapes have occurred on campus, the university decided to issue an e-mail alert Friday about the serial stalker on the loose. Classes resumed on Monday. (FOX News)

The smelly, shoeless rape suspect is described as follows:

• Height: between 5’6″ and 5’10″ tall
• 150-200 pounds
• usually wears no shoes
• has mostly targeted women between 24 and 37 at home late at night or early in the morning
• He always enters the same way. “The subject gains access to the residence by a window, attacks the female or females inside and then for one reason or another, either because he’s done or because somebody fends him off — he flees,”

The previous attacks have taken place as follows:

Three of the attacks – those on Aug. 16, 2003; Sept. 28, 2003 and July 15, 2004 — have been within Tampa city limits, Douds said. The 2004 rape was of a juvenile.

The other three, linked to the same suspect through DNA, took place in Hillsborough County on Aug. 22, 2003, in July of 2004 and on June 14 of this year. The most recent attack on Aug. 19, which authorities believe was done by the serial rapist, also occurred in Hillsborough

Rapist targets USF area, police say

“We believe it is the same person,” said Debbie Carter, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Four of the seven victims are black women between the ages of 24 and 37, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The Tampa Police Department, which is handling the other three rapes, would not specify the race of the victims but said one is younger than 18 while the other two are adults.

The attacks occurred in an area bordered by E Bearss Avenue in the north, E 93rd Avenue in the south, N Nebraska Avenue in the west and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in the east.

Seeking to both alert and reassure students and faculty members, USF sent out a mass e-mail on Thursday about the assaults and the ongoing investigations. “There have NOT been any incidents that have occurred on USF campus,” said the notice, which included a link to a Sheriff’s Office news release. (St Petersburg Times)