On December 6, 2023, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office arrested 62-year-old Kenneth Edmond for two cold-case rapes in Cleveland, Ohio.
A 72-year-old homeless woman was attacked under the Detroit-Superior Bridge on September 15, 2000. She was shoved to the ground and sexually assaulted. She was found later, walking around asking for help, and she was taken to the hospital where a SAK examination was performed.
A 21-year-old woman was assaulted on October 30, 2001. She was grabbed from the street and forced through an opening in a face under the I-90 overpass. She was sexually assaulted several times, and her purse was stolen. She was also taken to the hospital where she underwent a SAK exam. The two cases were linked in CODIS to a single perpetrator, but there were no hits to a suspect in the database. The suspect was then indicted as John Doe #103 to avoid the expiry of the statute of limitations.
The FIGG investigation was conducted by Firebird Forensics in partnership with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office Genetic Operations Linking DNA (G.O.L.D.) Unit.
Edmond is facing several charges of rape, kidnapping, and robbery in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.
Sources:
Haidet, Ryan. “3 Suspects Identified in Decades-Old Rape Cases in Cleveland Amid DNA Investigation.” WKYC.com, December 7, 2023. Accessed December 13, 2023. https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/dna-evidence-suspects-identified-cold-cases-cuyahoga-county-prosecutor-cleveland/95-832b84a8-8a11-4b0d-8384-11f98fa3ceeb.
Shaffer, Cory. “Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Use Genealogy to Identify Three More Cold-Case Rape Suspects.” Cleveland.com, December 7, 2023. Accessed December 13, 2023. https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2023/12/cuyahoga-county-prosecutors-use-genealogy-to-identify-three-more-cold-case-rape-suspects.html?outputType=amp.
Taylor, Michelle. “Genealogy Links 3 Men to 6 Cold Case Rapes.” Forensic Magazine, December 11, 2023. Accessed December 13, 2023. https://www.forensicmag.com/609416-Genealogy-Links-3-Men-to-6-Cold-Case-Rapes/.