CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man accused of raping four Penn State University students was arrested Tuesday after being identified through genetic genealogy.
Jeffrey Fields, 36, of Port Matilda was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, simple assault and rape of forcible compulsion, WTAJ reported.
State College Police make arrest of suspect in 4 separate rapes dating back to 2009 solved with DNA profilinghttps://t.co/tx2znBjFhu pic.twitter.com/EB83YBCMxD
— State College Police (@StateCollegePD) July 21, 2020
In all four cases, the victims were female and were assaulted outdoors by an unknown male, the TV station reported.
Officials told NBC News that Fields assaulted the students — who were 19 or 20 — beginning in 2010 at locations near the university, with the last attack occurring in 2017.
According to the State College Police Department, DNA was collected during rape examinations performed at the time of each assault, and the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Lab linked all four rapes to one unknown suspect, WTAJ reported.
Investigators then used genetic genealogy screening – a technique that matches DNA samples with profiles from genetic testing companies for consumers – and identified Fields as the suspect, NBC News reported.
According to WTAJ, Fields was arraigned Tuesday afternoon and placed in the Centre County Correctional Facility without bail.
Cox Media Group
