(Newser)
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A man responsible for at least 12 rapes over the past 13 years, in four states from Virginia to Rhode Island, continues to elude authorities, who now think the suspect—described as a black man in his early to mid-30s, and a smoker—is back in the Washington suburbs, where his spree began in 1997. “The bastard’s right there,” one Virginia cop tells the Post of the so-called East Coast Rapist. “We just need that one phone call. Somebody knows this guy.”
The man’s most recent attack—one of as many as 17 police believe are linked—came on Halloween in Dale City, Va., and followed his usual modus operandi: He did it when the women were most vulnerable, after much observation of them and their neighborhood. “He is a very bold, fearless predator,” says another officer. “The concern is that he’s out there, he’s not going to stop until he’s caught and the violence could get worse.”
