You are viewing this article in the AnnArbor.com archives. For the latest breaking news and updates in Ann Arbor and the surrounding area, see MLive.com/ann-arbor
Posted on Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 2:59 p.m.

75 men have been interviewed during investigation into 7 Ann Arbor sex attacks

By Lee Higgins

Ann Arbor police have submitted a rape kit to a state police lab for DNA analysis and interviewed about 75 possible suspects as they continue to investigate seven attacks on women in the city since mid-July.

Police provided new details about their investigation today, giving the first glimpse into the evidence they have collected.

"We do have several tips that we're concentrating on that could be promising," Det. Sgt. Brian Jatczak told AnnArbor.com this morning.

In total, 16 pieces of evidence have been submitted for DNA analysis and some of those items have been analyzed, Jatczak said.

So far, he said, it has not yielded any suspects.

Jatczak declined to specify what has been analyzed and what hasn’t.

“There’s quite a bit of evidence and it takes time to process,” Jatczak said.

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for 072811_sex_assault_composite_images.jpg
Seven women walking alone have been attacked in the city between July 15 and Sept. 13. Two were raped, three were groped and two were grabbed. Six of the attacks happened downtown - one in a parking structure - while the seventh was on the edge of downtown bordering the Old West Side.

Investigators believe one or two men are responsible.

Jatczak said the rape kit and 9 other pieces of evidence were submitted to the lab after the first of 2 rapes July 18. About 12:40 a.m. July 18, an 18-year-old Ann Arbor woman who was walking in the 700 block of South State Street was pulled into an alley and raped. Officers took the woman to University of Michigan Hospital and the rape kit was completed.

Jatczak said the other 6 pieces of evidence were submitted after a rape roughly 22 hours later. About 10:30 p.m. July 18, a 26-year-old Ypsilanti woman was followed into an elevator in the Liberty Square parking structure and raped. She reported the attack three days later and a rape kit was not completed, police said. However, evidence including a piece of the victim's clothing, was sent to the lab for DNA analysis, Jatczak said.

So far, police have received more than 600 tips and interviewed roughly 75 men who were possible suspects, Jatczak said. Out of those men, 3 approached police to clear their names because they looked like the sketch or co-workers thought they looked like the sketch, police said. No search warrants have been executed and no charges have been filed.

Jatzcak said police are focusing their investigation on about 10 men, but urge the public to continue providing tips. So far, tips have come in from other cities, including Lansing and Kalamazoo, and out of state, he said.

Jatczak said the attacker appears to be familiar with South State Street, wears clean clothing and does not have a distinctive odor to him. For instance, he doesn't smell of alcohol, body odor or cologne.

The attacker has not made any direct threats toward the victims and only implied he had a weapon during one of the attacks, Jatczak said. The attacker says little during the attacks, Jatczak said, but declined to be more specific.

All of the victims have been targeted between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., police said. At least three of the victims had been drinking, police said. All were white, with the exception of the victim in the Sept. 13 attack, who was black, Jatczak said.

"For the most part, none of these women see him or have any idea he's around prior to the attack happening," Jatczak said.

Jatczak encouraged people to remain vigilant.

On Monday, an 18-year-old Ann Arbor man was arrested after police said he grabbed a woman's buttocks about 5:35 p.m. while she was walking near the intersection of 3rd and West Jefferson streets. The 29-year-old Ann Arbor woman was on her way home, Jatczak said. Investigators said the man was not in Ann Arbor until the beginning of the month and they are confident he wasn't involved in any of the 7 other attacks. Charges in the case are pending.

Anyone with information on the attacks can call the police department's confidential tip line at (734) 794-6939.

Comments

zip the cat

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 1:19 p.m.

Firstly,I would never submit to a police interview without my lawyer present. Weather I did something or not. Lawyer up and shut up

thinker

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 3 a.m.

But every day I get the list of crimes committed in Ann Arbor the day before....Crime Mapping! Now if we could just get a list of the crimes SOLVED in the past 24 hours, or how many of the Crime Mapped crimes have been solved. I know much work has been put into trying to solve these despicable crimes, but how much time and money every day is put into Crime Map?

Kai Petainen

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 10:06 p.m.

thanks for the update. it's appreciated.

racerx

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 8:58 p.m.

Not to criticize the police, but some of the information now being released bears questions as to why now? I don't recall reading previous information about body odor and clean clothing. Would it had helped if this type of information was released sooner in the investigation while seeking the publics help? And I would have to agree that mentioning that the women had been drinking does nothing to the story. Funny. The News has a policy that comments on this forum won't be published when a poster blames the victim. Aren't they doing the same? There is no connection to their drinking to the revlavence to the article or investigation. Unless women drinking is a crime. Still, the investigation is no closer than before. Slowly dripping this information I guess is to reassure us that the investigation is still occurring. Well gee, I hope so.

observer

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 8:08 p.m.

John A2, you have no idea what an investigation like this is about.....especially in a liberal city like your beloved Ann Arbor. You would be the first to criticize the police if they used interview tactics that YOU found offensive.......

Tru2Blu76

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 8:18 p.m.

Explain please, what you consider to be worthy of criticism in this police investigation. While you're at it: please offer your alternatives for police investigations.

Tru2Blu76

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 8:07 p.m.

My take is that this article highlights the extensive, on-going, effort by law enforcement to catch this predator. I do not see any reason to criticize that effort or to veer off into inane "policy issues." If police are to succeed, and we all want that, they must do profiling and must make "public statements" like this for strategic reasons. Some people who will wildly cheer for the Wolverines will also consistently jeer at police. Maybe they oughta think about which team they're cheering for in this case: it looks like some are cheering for the sexual predator's team - or maybe for the bar-hopping team. Go Law Enforcement!

racerx

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 5:33 p.m.

@ArthGuinness-see comments from Tru2Blue76, whereas he finds profiling is acceptable. A2 Police did profiling in the 80's when another rapist was on the loose. They randomly choose black men and requested their DNA. None of those men had any links to the rapes, but since the attacher was black and male, rounding up all the black men was their chosen method. I'm not misinformed about the practice. I just find comments thinking profiling is ok to be wrong.

ArthGuinness

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 3:49 p.m.

racerx, where did anybody say those random acts you cite are acceptable? They're not. What police do is completely different, though. They gather suspects based on the information that victims give to them. If somebody says they've been raped by a white guy, the police don't go rounding up black guys just for the hell of it. Sorry if you've been misinformed about this practice.

racerx

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 1:55 p.m.

To all of the above; so you think it's ok to pull someone off a plane due to them being a Muslim with nothing more to go on than the color of their skin and maybe their religious attire? Or, as Ann Arbor did back in the 80's round up black men and had them submit to DNA samples when a rapist was loose on the city then? Incredible. If I'm so blinded by the liberal media, maybe these posters should get away from conservative right wing media also. Profiling is never acceptable. To continue, David Crystal, I never said that A2 Police was profiling, my reply is to Tru2Blue76 who thinks that profiling is within their means to use it. Please read again. And again, my response doesn't say that I've been profiled. It just unsettling to me to think that there are people in our community that thinks its ok to use. As in the 40's after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Asian American's on the West Coast were rounded up and placed in "camps". Without any proof whatsoever that they were involved. Same with 9/11, Arab American's were harassed, profiled, solely based on either their skin color or religion. But, if you think this is ok....I pitty the society that we've yet to become.

david st. crystal

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 12:10 a.m.

Amen brother. With no strong leads, the detectives begin with a large net of people. There's nothing at all unusual about interviewing this many people in such serious cases. The field has already been narrowed to 10. @racerx, you have no idea what you're talking about. You accuse the A2 police of racial profiling with no evidence it's occurring. In terms of your past experiences with being harassed for your skin color, that's unfortunate. Still, using this horrific situation as a springboard for your tired anti-profiling argument is pathetic.

Nephilim

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 12:07 a.m.

Racer, you still have this misconceived media fed definition of profiling as singularly related to one aspect...I.e. race, religion etc. Open your mind and be free from the liberal media fed belief that all it's based on is that. Profiling isn't the ugly word you so perceive it to be.

rainbow

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 10:16 p.m.

I have been profiled and could not care less if it helps catch this animal. One must remember that they are able to protest and complain in this great country because of thesecurity we enjoy from the security forces we have which include the police forces.

racerx

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 8:47 p.m.

@Tru2Blu76-profiling. Right. Being singled out for no other apparent reason then, oh lets say, skin color, accent, religious attire, country of origin, or whatever reason you seem to think that this practice is ok for police to use. Until you're the person being profiled try to keep comments of such in perspective. Profiling is blatantly, at times, racist. However, I don't see how cheering for a football equates to cheering for police?!?

Tesla

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 8:06 p.m.

And so 75 men had to be under suspicion by the police. Nice. This is part of the tragedy, story and fallout from these kinds of crimes. Must be a scary deal to be interviewed by the police in connection with something like this. And to those who will think or say that if they have nothing to hide yada yada.... They could be knockin on your door next.

Tesla

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 6:01 p.m.

Did I say we can't have suspects? I don't think so. Let me look again. Nope! All I said was that it's a drag for the people under suspicion that had nothing to do with the assaults and it is p[art of the unseen effects of crimes like these. Being wrongfully accused or even considered for a crime can weigh heavily on ones mind, not to mention something like this of a violent and sexual nature. Now it's my turn. How would you feel if the cops were at your door right now wanting to ask you questions in connection with theses crimes. Things like, where were you the night of, etc etc.

ArthGuinness

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 3:45 p.m.

What is your proposal to solving crime, then, if we can't have suspects?

A2Susie

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 7:47 p.m.

And I meant to ask Kitty, what are you suggesting? I don't understand.

A2Susie

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 7:46 p.m.

I don't see why it is relevant that three or more of the victims had been drinking, unless there is evidence that they may have been followed from a bar or restaurant where drinks were served. It is not illegal for a young woman to have a drink or more and then walk home. It is inadvisable now, but not necessarily when the attacks occurred. Writers, please be very careful about implying that the victim may have been at fault for her behavior.

james

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 3:59 p.m.

"It is not illegal for a young woman to have a drink or more and then walk home. It is inadvisable now, but not necessarily when the attacks occurred. Writers, please be very careful about implying that the victim may have been at fault for her behavior." It isn't, but a young woman that is drunk will have a much more difficult time fending off a rapist than one that is sober. I don't know why the writers need to "be very careful" of anything. They weren't implying anything. It was just incorrectly interpreted as such.

A2Susie

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 1:29 a.m.

Yes, it's relevant that too much alcohol can blur one's judgement and ability to give the best defense against attack, but that is not what the article said, and it should have said that. But the mention of avoiding alcohol if one is going to walk around at night alone could have been said without the rest. These young women have been through enough without branding them as asking for it because they were doing something perfectly legal. Walking or walking after having a drink is still not illegal is it? What the attacker did was illegal, whether or not his victims had had a drink. Of COURSE we hope that women downtown will take every possible precaution.

Mick52

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 1:06 a.m.

It keeps us from wondering if they were drinking too.

julieswhimsies

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 12:48 a.m.

Thank you.

LetThePoisonOut

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 10:36 p.m.

It's very relevant in that alcohol blurs judgement and observational skill. In some cases it probably makes it much tougher to coordinate a physical defense when assaulted or to make quick, rational decisions when confronted with such a stressful situation. Of course it is not the fault of any of these women they were assaulted, but reminding the public of variables involved that may or may not have played a factor might be helpful to some in how they carry on with their lives as they try to avoid this creep.

a2citizen

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 10:28 p.m.

And I don't see why it's relevant one victim was black... And I don't see why it's relevant six victims were white... And I don't see why it's relevant three men approached police to clear their name... And I don't see why...ad nauseum And I don't see why it's relevant the seven victims were walking alone... And I don't see why it's relevant that all the attacks happened between 10pm-2am... And I don't see why it's relevant that one attack occured in a parking structure...

Kitty

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 7:32 p.m.

I mean the right, with the thick afro, ya know ya know him

Kitty

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 7:31 p.m.

keep looking at the one on the left...ya know you saw him before

John A2

Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 7:17 p.m.

Interviewed??... Are you the rapist? no sir, I'm not. Are you the rapist? no sir I'm not.