Mark Hunter

Mark Thompson Hunter was arrested on July 15, 2021, for the February 17, 1999 rape and kidnapping of a 19-year-old woman in Escondido, California. A man approached the teenager at a convenience store, asking for directions to a nearby Super 7 Motel. He then followed her in his vehicle, and then he stopped and motioned to her to pull over. As she approached his vehicle, he kidnapped her, dragging her into his vehicle and took her to another location where he sexually assaulted her before driving her back to her vehicle.

The FGG investigation is reported to have proceeded with the assistance of the FBI, although there is as yet no confirmation whether it was the FBI IGU who conducted the genealogical investigation.

Hunter is facing numerous charges involving sexual assault and kidnapping in San Diego County Superior Court.

Sources:

Ash, Allison, and Christina Bravo. “Retested DNA Leads to Arrest in Escondido Kidnap, Rape Case 20+ Years Later. NBC News 7 San Diego, July 15, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2021. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/retested-dna-leads-to-arrest-in-escondido-kidnap-rape-case-20-years-later/2656833/.

CBSLA Staff. “Police: Mark Thompson Hunter of Hemet Identified Through DNA in 1999 Escondido Rape of 19-Year-Old Woman.” CBS Los Angeles, July 15, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2021. https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/07/15/police-mark-thompson-hunter-hemet-identified-dna-1999-escondido-rape-19-year-old-woman/.

McAllister, Toni. “Cold Case Rape, Sodomy: Police Announce Hemet Man’s Arrest.” Patch, July 15, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2021. https://patch.com/california/murrieta/cold-case-rape-sodomy-police-announce-hemet-mans-arrest.

Individual

First Name Mark
Last Name Hunter
Other Names
Victims 1 (Details)
IGG Started nd
Case Cleared 2021-07-15
IGG Org FBI

Victims

Case ID Name Age Case Opened Location Investigating Org Most Serious Charge Disposition Court
1505 n/a Jane Doe 19 1999-02-17 Escondido, CA Escondido PD All sexual offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and child molestation Case is currently pending before the court San Diego SUP CT

Last updated: February 9, 2024

To contribute information on new or existing IGG cases, use this form.

Case data and narrative licensed under CC BY 4.0: Dowdeswell, Tracey (2023), “Forensic Genetic Genealogy Project v. 2022”, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/jcycgvhm96.1. All other content, including photos, have been added.