Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, Massachusetts State Police Colonel Marian McGovern, and Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, along with MBTA Transit Police and Boston University Police, today re-released the following information on four linked sexual assaults and safety tips for members of the general public.

The linked assaults include:

1. A July 14, 2009, incident in which a young woman was assaulted near the Massachusetts Avenue footbridge shortly after midnight;
2. A July 29, 2007, incident in which a 20-year-old woman was abducted at knifepoint on Beacon Street and forced to walk to the Esplanade, where she was assaulted at about 3:30 a.m.;
3. A June 16, 2007, incident in which a different 20-year-old woman was jogging at the Charles River Esplanade on a footpath near the Massachusetts Avenue bridge shortly after 11:00 p.m. when she was assaulted; and
4. A July 29, 2006, incident in which a 30-year-old woman was assaulted in the area of Joe Moakley Park at about 3:00 a.m.

The victims collectively described their assailant as:

1.  An African-American male in his mid-20s to mid-30s
2. Clean-shaven with a bald head
3. Standing 5’8” to 5’10” tall
4. With a medium to large build at the time of the attacks.

Members of the public are urged to exercise caution in public recreational areas, including the Esplanade:

1. Remain alert and aware of your surroundings, especially at night
2. Travel with a friend and stay in well-lit areas when walking, jogging, or cycling at night
3. Avoid one-on-one contact with strangers, seek help if a stranger tries to isolate you, and never accept a ride from a person you don’t know
4. Carry a cell phone and call 911 to be connected with State Police. Try to make a note of your location to provide an accurate emergency response.

Anyone with knowledge of the crimes or the suspect, or who was present near the Esplanade, Dartmouth Street, or Moakley Park areas on the dates and the times noted above, is urged to contact the Massachusetts State Police Barracks in Boston at 617-727-6780, call the toll-free Boston Police CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS, or text the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).

 

Computer-enhanced composite sketch of unidentified Esplanade and South Boston assailant