Man Charged in Rape Cold Case via Genealogy Site

( Cincinnati ) - The Hamilton County Prosecutor says a man is now in custody charged in connection with a series of rapes that started in 1999.

55-Year-Old William Blankenship (pictured) allegedly broke into multiple homes in the Mt Washington area between 1999 and 2001 and raped underage girls. Deters says he would enter homes left unlocked.

He went uncaught for years until DNA evidence collected from the crime scenes was entered into a genealogy website. From there, investigators were able to narrow down their potential suspect list, and Blankenship was arrested at his home in Kentucky.

If convicted on all charges of burglary, rape, kidnapping, and gross sexual imposition, Blankenship could spend the rest of his life in prison.


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