Police are taking a new approach in their effort to catch a serial rapist who has targeted women over a large region of Los Angeles during the past 19 years, and are distributing information about the suspect again with the hope of generating fresh leads.

A series of police sketches have been released of the serial rapist, and police believe they may be the key to determining his identity. (photo courtesy of the LAPD)

The suspect has sexually assaulted 35 women since 1996 in an area stretching from Melrose Avenue to the north, to Manchester Boulevard to the south. Investigators previously referred to the suspect as the “teardrop rapist” because some of the victims said he had a mark or a teardrop tattoo under one of his eyes. Det. Sharlene Johnson, with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division, Sexual Assault Detail, said investigators have dropped the “teardrop” moniker because the suspect may have had the mark removed, or may have had a fake tattoo on his face to throw detectives off his trail.

“We don’t want people to focus on the teardrop. Some of the victims have described him as having no teardrop or no mark on his face,” Johnson said. “We are calling it the ‘attacker series’. We are putting it back out there, and maybe someone will see something in a new light.”

Johnson conceded that police have exhausted all leads in the case. No new attacks have been reported since 2012. Police have linked many of the rapes through DNA evidence. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous, and police believe he could still strike at any time.

The suspect committed the rapes between 5:15 and 8 a.m. He generally targets women walking alone, and strikes up a conversation before pulling out a knife or handgun and forcing the victims to a secluded location.

“They are all sexual assaults or attempted assaults,” Johnson said. “He is really very non-threatening at first. He then produces a weapon, threatens them and takes them to a place like an alley.”

Thirty-two of the rapes have occurred in Los Angeles in areas patrolled by the LAPD’s Wilshire, Newton, Southwest, 77th Street and Rampart divisions. Three of the assaults occurred in South L.A. in areas patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. One of the sexual assaults occurred in the Wilshire Division in 2001, near Normandie Avenue and Clinton Street, just south of Melrose Avenue. Four additional assaults occurred in the Koreatown area near Wilshire Boulevard, between Western and Vermont avenues.

The last reported assault occurred in 2012 in South L.A., on Naomi Street near 25th Street. Although no new rapes have been reported in more than two years, and according to Johnson, the lapse is not uncommon for the rapist.

“He had one [rape] in ’96, one in ’97, four in ’98, three in ’99 and was very active between 2000 and 2005. But we didn’t see him again until 2011,” Johnson added. “It’s not unusual to have long breaks. There are many different reasons we are looking at. He could have been in jail, he could be out of the country or it could be something personal.”

The suspect is described as Hispanic, and was believed to have been in his 30s when the attacks began. He is approximately 5 feet 2 to 5 feet 6 inches tall and 130 to 170 pounds, and was described by some victims as having a light complexion. The suspect has been seen wearing a gray or dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, a bandana, black baseball cap and a dark-colored beanie.

“He’s older now, so we’re probably looking at someone who is now in their 50s,” Johnson said. “We think this will be solved by something coming from the community.”

The Los Angeles City Council has offered a $75,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect, and the FBI has offered an additional $25,000 reward.

Authorities have established a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lapdsas where people can provide tips. Information can also be submitted at (877)LAPD247, or emailed to rhd-sas@lapd.lacity.org. Tips can also be made via www.lapdonline.org, or by texting TIPLA, plus the information, to CRIMES (274637).