After over twenty years since a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted in Tampa, authorities in Hillsborough County have apprehended a suspect.
On March 7, 2000, detectives initiated an investigation following a report from the victim who stated she was sexually assaulted by a man after accepting a ride near Browder Road and Henderson Road.
Even with DNA samples gathered, authorities faced challenges in identifying the driver. The investigation reached a standstill, with all avenues explored, leading to the case going cold, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
In 2022, the investigation was revitalized as the Special Victims Section of the HCSO took a fresh look at the case, utilizing the Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA Grant. Funding has been allocated to law enforcement agencies to aid in the prosecution of violent, unsolved crimes.
Investigators collaborated with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Parabon Nanolabs, a firm specializing in DNA phenotyping for law enforcement, to construct a genetic family tree linked to the suspected assailant of the woman.
By August 2024, the investigators identified a suspect. The Sheriff’s Office has identified a suspect in the case: 59-year-old Walter Leon Rutherford Jr.
Rutherford had resided in Missouri since 2007, but it is said that he had connections to Tampa back in 2000.
Authorities in Stone County, Missouri, successfully obtained a DNA sample from Rutherford following a court-issued warrant. In October, authorities announced that the sample collected from the crime scene had been definitively matched.
On Monday, Oct. 28, Rutherford was arrested on two charges of sexual battery and subsequently booked into the Orient Road Jail.