3 attacks on women linked to 1 suspect
Be careful, cautious, State Police warn
State Police officials, warning the public to "be careful, be cautious," have used forensic evidence to link a pair of sexual assaults on the Esplanade and another near a South Boston park to the same suspect.
"We don't want to go into great detail on what the forensic evidence is, but the forensic evidence is concrete, and it is obvious that these three cases are connected," State Police Colonel Mark F. Delaney said during a press conference yesterday outside the department's South Boston barracks.
Police rereleased a composite drawing of the suspect, who is at large, but they did not elaborate on the forensic evidence. Fox25 news reported that police connected the crimes through DNA testing.
State Police said the latest attack occurred about 4 a.m. July 29, when a woman in her 20s was abducted at knife-point near Beacon and Hereford streets in the Back Bay and was forced across a footbridge to the Esplanade, where police said she was sexually assaulted and robbed of her cellphone, money, and a camera.
State Police described the suspect as a black man with a heavy build and a shaved head who is 28 to 32 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighs about 200 pounds.
The same man is suspected of sexually assaulting a female jogger on the Esplanade near the Massachusetts Avenue bridge about 11 p.m. June 16 and of sexually assaulting a woman near Moakley Park in South Boston in July 2006, State Police said.
Investigators are examining whether the suspect can be linked to other unsolved sexual assaults in Boston, Delaney said.
Although increased police patrols begun after the June assault on the Esplanade are still in place, Delaney urged women to take steps to ensure their safety.
"Be careful. Be cautious," Delaney said. "Know your surroundings. Know where you're going, and pair up with a friend whenever possible."
Last night, as two State Police cruisers were periodically driven along the Esplanade, Suffolk University student Jenna Mourey, 20,said she will continue to be careful in the area.
"I try to always have someone with me, especially being a girl," she said as she walked along the Esplanade with a friend. "That's the first thing you learn when you come to school. They say 'Don't ever go in the Common or the parks alone.' "
The link between the assaults highlights the need to quickly apprehend the suspect, said state Senator Jack Hart of South Boston.
"It's good news that the State Police are narrowing this investigation down and that they have connected it to what happened near Moakley Park last year," Hart said by phone. "The [assault] near Moakley Park has gone unsolved, and who knows how many other [ones] this guy has been involved with. If this guy was potentially involved with a [sexual assault] last year, and he was involved with two this year, there's a good chance these aren't the only three."
Women should take basic measures to protect themselves, such as using the Esplanade during its posted open hours, said Patrice Todisco, executive director of the Esplanade Association.
"The park is open from sunrise to sunset, and that's the safest time to be in the park, because more people are there," Todisco said by phone. "The public needs to take precautions, particularly women. These [assaults] are not random, and this is an individual who is more than likely going to continue this behavior."
Delaney asked that anyone with information about the suspect or the sexual assaults contact Boston police or State Police.
Ryan Haggerty can be reached at rhaggerty@globe.com. 