Minneapolis police are asking for the public's help in identifying a possible serial rapist they said has been targeting young women in the Marcy-Holmes and Dinkytown neighborhoods for several years.
Speaking to reporters at City Hall on Wednesday, Deputy Police Chief Erick Fors said that the man has been linked to several attacks in the area in recent months, including a thwarted abduction earlier this month near the University of Minnesota campus.
In that incident, police said a woman was walking just after 6 p.m. on March 1 near SE 725 S. 8th Av. when she was grabbed from behind by an unidentified man. The woman told police that she fought him off and the would-be attacker fled on foot.
A reward is being offered through CrimeStoppers for any information leading to his arrest and prosecution.
On Wednesday, police released three sketches of the suspect, based on descriptions received from some of the victims, including the woman in the March 1 attack.
The suspect was described as a slender white man in a hoodie, who is between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall, police said. In the past, victims have described him as having short hair and a trimmed beard, but police believe he has since shaved all his hair, possibly to evade capture. The suspect in the most recent incident was bald, according to police.
Police wouldn't say how many cases they were investigating, but that the cases went back several years.
Fors declined to comment on any specifics in the cases, but urged anyone who recognized the suspect to come forward.
