Raleigh police arrest suspect in 2001 sexual assault cold case after DNA match
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Raleigh police say a suspect has been arrested in connection with a 2001 sexual assault case that went unsolved for nearly 25 years.
The Raleigh Police Department said the case began on Dec. 1, 2001, when officers responded to a reported sexual assault at a home on Mourning Dove Road.
Investigators said a man and a woman were confronted by an armed suspect who held them at gunpoint. Police said the suspect forced both victims to remove their clothing before sexually assaulting the woman. He then left the scene.
Over the years, detectives identified similarities between the Raleigh case and another sexual assault reported in Charlotte that same year. In both cases, police said the suspect used a weapon and held the victim at gunpoint.
Evidence collected from the crime scenes, including clothing, was preserved and sent to the North Carolina State Crime Lab for DNA testing.
Police said the case saw a breakthrough on May 8 when the lab notified detectives of a DNA match in the national CODIS database. Investigators said the match linked Reginald Dwayne Taylor to evidence in both the Raleigh and Charlotte cases.
Arrest warrants were issued, and with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Virginia, Taylor was located and taken into custody without incident.
Taylor, 48, faces multiple charges, including:
- First-degree rape
- First-degree sexual offense
- Two counts of first-degree kidnapping
- Two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon
- Possession of a firearm by a felon
Authorities said the attached booking photo was taken during processing in Virginia.
