FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Police are working with Colorado State University to spread the word that there may a serial rapist on the prowl.
The report of a fifth sexual assault in three months comes as CSU gears up for the start of the new school year.
Sunday's attack on a 20-year-old woman was similar to four others since May 10. Police said while there is no solid evidence linking the attacks, there is a strong possibility they were committed by the same man.
"There is no solid, hard evidence that any of these attacks are related," said Rita Davis, Fort Collins Police spokesperson. "But we do believe there is a strong possibility all these recent assaults are related. There are lots of similarities."
A police task force is working exclusively on the rape investigations. Officers have increased patrols and are trying to raise public awareness. They are also working with a former FBI agent to develop a profile of the suspect.
"We realize it is summer and people are a little bit more lax, but we can't be," police spokeswoman Rita Davis said. "We've been trying hard to get the word out."
All the victims were in their 20s and were assaulted while home alone. One was enrolled at a community college; three were former students, either at Front Range or Colorado State University; and one was a young mother.
Each time, the man entered through an unlocked window or door in the early morning and blindfolded his victim. Except for Sunday's assault, the attacks have happened in garden-level apartments. Four of them have occurred within a mile and half of each other.
Police said the latest victim provided the most detailed description so far. She said her assailant was a white man with a dark complexion, in his late 20s or early 30s. He was between 5-feet-9 and 5-feet-11 with a boxy torso, slightly overweight and had short to medium dark brown hair.
She said the man smelled of cigarettes and had callused hands with dirty fingernails. He wore mesh knee-length basketball shorts with an elastic drawstring.
Police released a composite sketch of a suspect in previous assaults which matched the description of the man suspected in the latest sexual assault.
A reward is being offered for tips that lead to solving these crimes. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Kim Cochran of the Fort Collins Police Department at 970-224-6090.
Copyright 2007 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
