On July 17, 1992, about midnight, an employee of the Indian Head Inn was leaving work when she was confronted by a man armed with a gun. The man demanded money but the victim had no money or any means to get back into the hotel. The suspect continued his demands for money and when they were not met, he ordered the victim into a grassy area behind the motel. He raped her at gunpoint and then fled in an unknown direction. The Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded for the investigation.
The suspect was described as a medium-complexioned black male between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall and between 19 and 25 years old. He was slender but had a muscular build.
UPDATE: ARREST MADE
Advances in DNA technology allow our Forensic Science Unit (FSU) to compare evidence collected in cold cases to DNA samples of certain arrested and convicted offenders stored in state and national databases. In 2009, FSU submitted evidence from this case and identified a suspect, Derek Lorenzo Washington, 35, of no fixed address.
Detectives began re-examining the case. In August 2009, soon after the DNA match was discovered, Washington was indicted by a Charles County Grand Jury on charges of rape and other sex offenses.