Police Release New Composite Image Of 'Serial Creeper'
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CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) – Police from multiple Miami-Dade law enforcement agencies released a new composite image of a man they believe is connected to more than a dozen crimes against women over the last two years.
Top brass from Coral Gables, Miami, Miami Beach and Miami-Dade Police Departments gathered for a press conference Thursday to unveil the latest information in the investigation.
But this isn't an ordinary black and white sketch.
For the first time in South Florida, police are working with scientists who say they've developed technology that can determine what a person looks like based in their DNA.
Police have released a new composite sketch of a man wanted for spying and in some cases sexually terrorizing women. (Source: Miami Police (left) and Parabon NanoLabs)
The new composite was created by Parabon NanoLabs in Reston, Va.
The cutting-edge science can even narrow down a person's hair and eye color, as well as whether he or she has freckles.
The hope is the new image will lead police to the man they believe is stalking and in some cases sexually terrorizing women in cases dating back to 2013.
"The people that are sleeping in their beds at night," said Interim Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak. "These women are being stalked from what we've seen and victimized."
One woman who said she was a victim did not want her identity to be made public.
"I think even though he's not violent, he does damage women," the woman told CBS4's Lauren Pastrana.
She said a man broke into her Coral Gables apartment as she slept back in May.
"We struggled back and forth for a bit and he asked to see things I didn't want to show him," she explained.
She said the man was not armed, and when she told him she'd close her eyes and count to ten if he'd leave, he complied.
The victim said she did not get a good look at the guy because her apartment was dark, but said she's glad police are working on sketches to try to track the man down.
Police said the guy they're looking for is on likely on the move.
"This guy goes anywhere – whether it be Coral Gables, Flagami, Miami Beach, possibly, Little Gables in the county," Chief Hudak said.
Sources tell CBS4 News the same man could be to blame for anywhere from 15 to 40 cases, including a sexual battery last month in Miami Beach, in which a victim woke up in her apartment to a strange man performing oral sex on her.
"We're going back through cases, looking at time gaps from the task force to see if we have any burglaries or any loitering and prowling cases that have similar MOs," said Miami Beach Police Deputy Chief Loretta Hill.
An FDLE profile suggests the man police are looking for is soft spoken, sexually and socially immature, as well as a loner.
Investigators said they've been able to forensically link at least one Coral Gables sexual battery case to two attacks in the city of Miami.
The Miami Beach case has not been linked by forensics at this time.
The crimes range from staring at women through windows and breaking into their homes, to sexual battery.
Police want to stop him before he strikes again.
"We are worried and we were worried on the onset when we found this pattern that the escalation of the contact with our victims," Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes said. "That was the danger and that's why we all came together to put our resources together to try to find this individual."
Women especially are urged to be vigilant, keep doors and windows locked, and report suspicious activity to police.
Anyone with information should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
