DNA link found in Potomac River Rapist case - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

There are new developments in the case of the Potomac River Rapist.

A man who preyed on woman in the District and Montgomery County from 1991 to 1998, raping eight and killing one.

D.C. Police announced Thursday afternoon a D-N-A link between a rape that occurred on MacArthur Boulevard in July of 1996 and the nine other attacks.

Law enforcement sources say the victim came forward after authorities launched a public relations blitz last December. The woman told police she thought she may have been raped by the same man. Detectives were able to find the evidence collected after the assault and had it tested. A D-N-A profile was obtained and matched with the other nine assaults.

Police are hoping this new information will eventually lead investigators to a man who vanished in 1998 after killing 28 year old Christine Mirzayan. The intern from California was walking home from a barbeque when she was dragged into a wooded area near Georgetown, raped and beaten to death with a rock.

Investigators have known since at least 2004 the 1998 murder of Christine Mirzayan was linked with a series of chilling rapes in Gaithersburg, Rockville, Bethesda, North Potomac and Silver Spring.

In addition to having the man's D-N-A, they also have a composite sketch. But years of searching have left them with an unfinished puzzle.

Who is this man and why did the attacks stop in 1998?

Knowing the man could have moved out of the Washington area and even changed his tactics, officials are using billboards and bus shelters in hopes of informing the one person who might know who this man is.

Law enforcement agencies are asking anyone with information to contact MPD at (202) 727-9099 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the police department's TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.

For more information about this investigation, go to http://fbi.gov/potomacriverrapist.