Suspect arrested after 80-year-old woman sexually assaulted at Detroit home
Suspect caught after elderly woman raped outside her Detroit home
A suspect who Detroit police say raped an 80-year-old and is believed to be connected to another sexual assault is off the streets. Hours after police identified Kenneth Davis Jr. as the man they were looking for, he was captured at Rouge Park.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit police said Tuesday that they have captured a man wanted in connection with the rape of an 80-year-old.
Chief James White identified the suspect as Kenneth Davis Jr. hours before his arrest. He was caught at Rouge Park.
"Just a great effort by everybody. All of our units, our Violent Crimes Task Force partners, the FBI, our narcotics unit….basically we weren’t going home until this guy’s in custody," DPD Cmdr. Eric Decker said. "Units out, surveillance picked him up and led us to this location. He was with a known person. They were parked here and taken down. There was no injuries, no incidents, just a very good day for the city of Detroit "
White said the suspect approached the woman at her home on Memorial near the Southfield Freeway and I-96 on March 26 and asked if she needed help with packages. She declined.
Later, he came back and entered her home through an open backdoor around 9:05 p.m. that same day. When the woman told the man to leave, he grabbed her, dragged her outside, and sexually assaulted her. This happened as the victim's handicapped husband was inside the home.
The arrest comes after police and activists gathered to share their disgust with the heinous crime.
"Our most vulnerable members of our community, our seniors, don’t deserve this," White said.
Volunteers had been canvassing the west side in search of the suspect.
"I ain’t gonna lie to you Dave, I wish we caught him first," said Zeek, with grassroots organization New Era Detroit. "We just happy that he off the streets. We’ve been working relentlessly day in and day out."
DNA helped police develop Davis as the suspect.
Police believe Davis also sexually assaulted another victim Monday.
"We’ve become aware of other crimes that have taken place by other perpetrators in the same area, so it’s a constant thing. We have to stay on it. It doesn’t rest," said rapper Trick Trick, who helped search for the suspect.
Related: Volunteers canvassing neighborhood for rapist say they spotted suspect