Sketch Of Suspect Released In Rockville Rape, Murder Cold Cases

ROCKVILLE, MD — Authorities have released composite photos of a man they believe is responsible for a murder and multiple rapes that occurred in Rockville in the late '80s and early '90s.

Montgomery County Police detectives released the photos early Monday morning. The composites are based on the suspect's DNA that was left at two of the crime scenes, police said.

Police believe the man is responsible for the following crimes in Rockville:

• June 25, 1989: A 52-year-old woman was walking on Lewis Avenue at about 10:15 p.m. when the suspect approached her from behind, assaulted her and then raped her, police said. Suspect DNA evidence was recovered in this case.
• September 19, 1994: A 25-year-old woman was walking on Twinbrook Parkway at about 10:20 p.m. when the suspect approached her from behind while armed with a knife. The suspect grabbed the victim and dragged her to the side of her home where he attempted to rape her, police said. The victim successfully resisted the assault, fled and contacted police. No DNA evidence was able to be collected in this event.
• October 3, 1994: A 42-year-old woman named Le Bich-Thuy was found dead to the side of her home in the 1600 block of Martha Terrace. The investigation by detectives revealed that she had been assaulted, raped and then strangled, police said. Investigators further determined that Bich-Thuy was last known to be alive at about 10 p.m. on September 28, 1994 as she left the Twinbrook Metro Station. Suspect DNA evidence was recovered in this case.

Police said a DNA analysis determined the same suspect committed the June 25, 1989 assault and rape and also committed the 1994 rape and murder of Le Bich-Thuy.

Detectives recently sought the services of Parabon NanoLabs (Parabon), a DNA technology company in Virginia that specializes in DNA phenotyping, or the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence, police said.

Using DNA evidence left by the suspect at these scenes, Parabon’s Shapshot DNA Phenotyping Service has produced what is referred to as a Snapshot composite depicting how the suspect in these cases may have looked.

Detectives are releasing the suspect composite with the belief that someone will recognize the suspect and provide information to investigators.

Anyone with information regarding the suspect or anyone who believes he/she may have details that might advance this investigation is urged to contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.

For those who wish to remain anonymous, Crime Solvers of Montgomery County is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the suspect. Tipsters can call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

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(First photo: Parabon composite of suspect at 25 years of age, composite of suspect at 45 years of age. Second photo: Map of the area where the crimes occurred/via Montgomery County Police Department)