"Philadelphia Man Arrested for Cold-Case Murder and Recent Trail Attacks: DNA Evidence Links Suspect to Fairmount Park Crimes"

Elias Diaz, the suspect arrested for attacking park-goers with a machete in Pennypack Park, has been charged with the assault and murder of Rebecca Park in 2003, a crime believed to be connected to the long-sought Fairmount Park rapist. Diaz had been living in a makeshift camp behind Lincoln High School, where he set up a charcoal grill, hung clothes from tree branches, and stored various items. Police had identified Diaz as a suspect in the old rape cases through genealogy analysis, but his whereabouts remained unknown until his recent arrest. The investigation into his older crimes is ongoing, and authorities are reevaluating open sexual assault and homicide cases that may fit the pattern of Diaz's alleged attacks.