By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer
DNA evidence has linked last month’s rape of a female hiker in Pennypack Park with three other unsolved attacks, including one murder, that all occurred in Fairmount Park in 2003.
Last Thursday, Philadelphia police announced the break in the case and re-released to the news media a composite sketch of the suspect prepared with the help of the victim following the Aug. 11 attack.
The 29-year-old victim told police that she was walking on a wooded path along Pennypack Creek at about 8 p.m. that evening when a man grabbed her from behind, placed her in a choke hold, dragged her into the secluded underbrush and sexually assaulted her.
The victim had entered the park near Frankford and Solly avenues and had walked west for about 10 minutes, police said. The suspect fled on foot westbound, in the opposite direction of the Frankford Avenue entrance, with a small amount of money taken from the victim.
The woman, who was using an iPod or Walkman device when attacked, made her way back to the park entrance and alerted police with the help of a good Samaritan.
She was treated at a local hospital for injuries related to the choking and the sexual assault. A sample of the suspect’s DNA was also obtained.
Later testing revealed that the sample matched that of the so-called Fairmount Park rapist, who police have been trying to identify for the last four years.
Among the three prior cases linked to the unknown assailant was the July 13, 2003, murder of 30-year-old medical student Rebecca Park, who disappeared while jogging near the 3500 block of Conshohocken Ave. in Wynnefield Heights.
Detectives searching near Park’s home four days later found her remains near a running trail. She had been raped and strangled. Other joggers provided to police the description of a suspicious man they had seen in the area.
On Oct. 25, 2003, a 37-year-old woman reported being accosted while jogging along West River Drive about a mile south of the Falls Bridge. The knife-wielding male tried to drag the victim to the riverbank but she fought back, sustaining defensive wounds to the neck, chest and hand, police said.
Months earlier, on April 30, 2003, the same suspect allegedly attacked a 21-year-old female jogger near Kelly Drive and Fountain Green Road. The male forced the victim at knifepoint to the river’s edge, where he threatened and raped her, police said.
Victims and witnesses in all of the cases offered a similar description. The suspect is Hispanic, in his 20s and about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a medium-to-muscular build. He had short, dark hair and a mustache. He had a goatee at the time of the latest crime. He speaks with a heavy accent.
In the April and October 2003 incidents, he was seen riding a metallic-colored 10-speed bicycle shortly before or after the attacks.
Also during the latest incident, the suspect wore a sky blue basketball jersey, white shorts and a gold chain.
Police said they had received no other reports of similar crimes near Pennypack Park. Yet, regardless of location, they warn pedestrians and joggers to take safety precautions.
Individuals should travel with a partner or in groups and should avoid wearing headphones, as they can distract the user from his or her surroundings.
Individuals should also avoid nighttime hours and have a mobile telephone ready to call 911 in case of emergency.
Anyone with information about the crimes is asked to call police at 215-686-3335 or 215-685-3251. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com