MEMPHIS, Tenn. — New information about a possible serial rapist in Memphis. WREG has learned he could be linked to nine other violent crimes dating back to 2014.
Police said in every incident the suspect broke into a home in the middle of the night and attacked the woman inside.
Authorities said they are working on this case everyday, but won’t say whether they have any leads.
They don’t have a good description of what he looks like.
The thought of a possible serial rapist has women across the city on edge. They are questioning everything and everyone.
“I see this shadow strike across the walkway,” said a woman who asked us not to show her face out of fear.
She said early Sunday morning she saw a man creeping outside her window at the Madison at Cypress Lake Apartments.
“This guy had pulled his hood over his head and hid his face. He was just standing in the shadows of a corner of another apartment.”
She and her boyfriend confronted him. He took off.
Hours later, her neighbor said a man broke into her apartment, held her at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her.
“I’m hearing on the news this is happening three hours after the incident,” she said.
The woman doesn’t know if the man she saw was the attacker. She didn’t get a good look at his face.
What is certain though, WREG found out this case mirrors a long list of crimes.
Ten cases in all including sexual assaults, burglaries and robberies. They all were reported across Memphis.
The first was a sexual assault in 2014 at Edge Water Apartments.
Police said while there’s no physical evidence linking the cases, they all have the same MO.
The man, or possibly different men, cover their faces, crawl into a window or pry open a door and prey on women.
“In our minds and in the public’s mind, it is a safety concern when you see patterns develop that are similar,” said Deputy Chief Mike Ryall.
A pattern it took police at least two years to notice, and even now, the department is unsure if the cases are connected.
Police said if you can help in this case, don’t hesitate to call them.
After WREG interviewed the woman, she reported what she saw to Crime Stoppers.