DNA evidence helps police create sketch of Gaithersburg bus stop rape suspect

WASHINGTON — Montgomery County police used DNA evidence to create a sketch of a suspect still at large in a rape near a Montgomery County bus stop last month.

The sketch created using DNA evidence. Click on image to see larger size. (Courtesy Montgomery County police)

A woman told Montgomery County police she was waiting for a bus at the stop located on Watkins Mill Road at Travis Lane in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on the morning of Oct. 6 when a man approached her, pulled her toward a wooded area and raped her.

The suspect fled the area after the crime, but police used DNA evidence obtained during the investigation to show what the suspect may look like.

The suspect is described as black man in his 20s. He wore a dark-colored, checkered shirt or jacket at the time of the assault.

DNA phenotyping — the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence — allowed officials to show with more details what the man may look like.

Detectives ask anyone who may recognize the suspect to call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5050.

Sarah Beth Hensley

Sarah Beth Hensley is the Digital News Director at WTOP. She has worked several different roles since she began with WTOP in 2013 and has contributed to award-winning stories and coverage on the website.

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