COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is asking for the public's help as cold case investigators are taking a fresh look at a string of sexual attacks on school-age girls that happened in the early 2000s throughout Northeast Ohio.
“This predator struck multiple counties in at least two states – behavior that suggests more victims might still be out there,” Yost said. “We urge them and anyone else with knowledge of similar attacks to contact our investigators. Your tips could solve this vicious crime spree."
Officials say that the Cold Case Unit at the BCI is looking at seven sexual assaults that happened between 2001-2003 in Ashtabula, Lake and Summit counties. The victims ranged from 11-18 years old.
The suspect involved in the assaults was described as a white male, roughly 30 years old, who posed as a salesman or repairman and targeted girls who had just taken the school bus home. The man wore sunglasses and a baseball hat and possibly drove a black or silver midsize sedan.
"After knocking on a victim’s door, the man usually asked for directions or for information about the home’s occupants, likely to determine whether the victim was alone. He then asked to make a phone call and forced his way inside," said the Ohio Attorney General's Office in a press release.
Investigators believe that the cases are linked to similar assaults in Pennsylvania that happened during the same time period. Recently, Pennsylvania State Police identified 61-year-old Daniel Danzinger, a Florida resident who lived in Ohio at the time of the crimes, as a suspect.
Danzinger was arrested on Oct. 2 after authorities used forensic genealogy technology to DNA from the crime scene. A DNA sample obtained with a search warrant matched evidence from the crime scene.
Anyone with information on Danzinger or the similar cases in Ohio and Pennsylvania is asked to call 855-BCI-OHIO.
