See also: William Costello, Accused Serial Rapist, Ends His Trial By Killing Himself
At the time of our original item, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office announced that seven assaults had been tied to the suspect. However, the Fort Collins Coloradoan reveals a September incident on the Colorado State University campus that was originally included is no longer thought to be connected. That leaves six attacks prior to the latest two, bringing the total to eight -- and the most recent pair took place within half-an-hour of each other.
At 10:30 p.m. on Friday, October 24, Fort Collins cops responded to the 3000 block of West Elizabeth Street, an area captured in the following interactive graphic. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."
View Larger Map
There, officers encountered a woman who said she'd been assaulted by a single male suspect while jogging.
Cut to 10:50 p.m. when the FCPD got another related call -- this one telling of a physical assault by a man on a woman who'd been walking near the intersection of City Park Avenue and Baystone Drive. Here's an interactive graphic depicting that area:
View Larger Map
In each case, the description of the perpetrator was similar to those offered after the previous six attacks: a Hispanic male in the thirty-to-forty-years range, standing between five-seven and six-feet tall, with a medium-to-heavy build and short, shaved hair, possibly driving an older-model white SUV.
Fortunately, neither of the women in the Friday attacks was seriously hurt. But law enforcers remain committed to hauling in the man behind them and those that preceded them. If you have any information, you're encouraged to contact Detective Mike Knudsen at 970-221-6558 or Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868.
Continue for our previous coverage of the Fort Collins-area assaults, including the full-size sketch of the suspect. Original post, 5:15 a.m. October 10: Has Fort Collins become the chosen crime zone for a serial assaulter of women? That's the supposition of the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, which ties a Wednesday night attack with six others in recent weeks. Details, a larger version of the sketch seen here and more below.
The LCSO doesn't pinpoint the location of the latest incident in an alert. Rather, the offense is simply said to have taken place "along the Highway 1 corridor just north of Fort Collins."
Type "Highway 1" and "Fort Collins" into the Google Maps search field and this is what you get. (If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map.")
View Larger Map
Neither does the LCSO offer a specific time for what took place. The office simply notes that on Wednesday evening, a woman riding her bicycle was physically assaulted by a man unknown to her.
She describes him as a Hispanic male in his thirties with a stocky-to-muscular build, either a shaved head or very short hair, a mustache and a soul patch. He subsequently fled in an older model white or light-colored SUV with faded wood-grain paneling or two-tone paint on its sides.
This crime is troubling in and of itself. But it becomes even more concerning in the context of previous events. The sheriff's office notes that investigators believe the attacks is related to six previous assaults on Fort Collins women over a six-week period.
The commonalities: In each case, the victim was alone and outside between the hours of 7 p.m. and midnight.
Those who recognize the person depicted in the following sketch are encouraged to contact Investigator Ben Hess at 970-498-5173 or Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868. In the meantime, law enforcers suggest that anyone who is out and about in the evenings try not to travel solo and to remain aware of the immediate surroundings.
Here's a larger look at the suspect likeness.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.