Reynaldo Elias Rapalo
Event Date: September 19, 2003
Cruise Bruise: Serial Child Molester
Age Of Acused: 32
Cruise Line:
Cruise Ship:
Details:
A policeman noticing a suspicious motorist led to the arrest of a suspect in one of Miami's biggest manhunts in recent years.
Police Chief John Timoney said Reynaldo Elias Rapolo, 32, born August 21, 1971, a Honduran whose visa had expired, was arrested after detectives spotted him driving a car slowly through the Cuban-American area of Little Havana.
The car matched the description of the vehicle used by a man who had been labeled The Shenandoah Rapist, in a string of sex crimes in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods of the city over the prior year.
The motorist ran at least two stop signs before being pulled over and arrested without further incident, officials said. Timoney said Rapolo had been positively identified by at least one rape victim, and that his fingerprints and a DNA profile from a saliva sample he voluntarily gave had matched forensic evidence collected from some of the rape crime scenes.
Since last June, Miami police officials had said their priority was catching the rapist, whose seven known victims have ranged in age from 11 and 79. Police believe the same assailant may have attempted to rape at least three other women in the city.
Police offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, posted artist's sketches of the suspect on billboards throughout Miami and even sought the help of illegal immigrants in the manhunt.
Officials were concerned because the rapist managed to break undetected into some homes, persuaded other victims to let him in the door and may have selected his youngest targets, girls who were 11, 12 and 13 years old after following them home from school or from their school bus stop.
The visa Rapalo carried, and that had expired, was for working on a cruise ship. No cruise ship name was ever released.
On December 20, 2005 he escaped from prison and was later captured on December 26th, 2005. He is now serving five life sentences.
Reynaldo Elías Rapalo
Cruise Ship Crew Member Was Serial Rapist
September 19, 2003
