Philadelphia Police Identify Suspect in Cold Case Rapes and Murders Linked to Recent Knife Attacks

Elias Diaz, the man arrested for a series of assaults on the Pennypack Park trail, has been named a person of interest in the 2003 "Fairmount Park Rapist" cold case by Philadelphia police. DNA evidence connected Diaz to the murder of Rebecca Park in 2003, as well as two or three other sexual assaults in Fairmount Park. Diaz has yet to be officially charged, but Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore anticipates charging him with murder and other offenses. The police used DNA evidence and genealogy databases to connect the Pennypack and Fairmount Park cases, and they are urging other potential victims to come forward.