MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Pleading for help in solving a 17-year-old serial rape case, authorities linked yet another attempted attack Thursday to the man they say has been terrorizing students of Kansas' top two universities since 2000.
Police commanders from Manhattan and Lawrence joined Thursday morning to give more details about the rapist and the crimes that occurred between October 2000 and July 2015. Before Thursday, the last known attack was in December 2008.
"These were all violent acts carried out by an assailant who did so in a cold, calm, calculated manner," said Brad Schoen, director of the Riley County Police Department. "In most cases, a handgun was displayed."
In total, there have been 14 attacks in Manhattan and Lawrence, including two attempted rapes. All but one occurred during academic breaks such as summer or holidays. Most attacks occurred between 2 and 4:30 a.m.
The suspect is now described as a white male, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a prominent stomach and large thighs. Authorities estimate him to be in his 30s.
The last known attack was the attempt on July 27, 2015, in Manhattan.
"We are here today because we need the public's help," said Anthony Brixius, Lawrence's interim police chief.
Officials announced Thursday that they'd created a website asking for the public's help. The site, www.kansascollegerapist.com, allows people to read information about the crimes and to provide tips and assistance to help solve the case. An anonymous donor has provided a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the rapist.
Investigators said they are working several leads but are not in a position to discuss that information.
"Because to do so may jeopardize the investigation and future prosecution," Schoen said.
Authorities think the man began his string of attacks in October 2000, when they say he tried to rape a woman in Manhattan but, after a struggle, ran away.
Ten months later, the series of rapes in Manhattan began. But it wasn't until three or four years later that police acknowledged they might all be related.
By then, attacks of KU students in Lawrence, about 85 miles from Manhattan, had begun.
Attacks in both college communities occurred off campus, in apartments, duplexes and single-family houses.
In December 2008, a KU student was attacked and raped in her home. Contacted by the Kansas City Star on Wednesday, she declined to talk about the case. She said she's told her story in recent years and didn't think she had anything to add as authorities planned to release more information.
Her attack was the 13th case linked to the same man.
The woman, who was a sophomore when the man entered her off-campus home late at night, spoke three years ago at Emporia State University.
"I was awoken by a man with a gun," she told the crowd of nearly 300, the Emporia Gazette reported. "He beat me, tied me up and raped me. He terrorized me for almost eight hours."
In 2009, authorities in Manhattan and Lawrence privately reached out to the Kansas attorney general's office for help in coordinating the investigations. In March of that year, the attorney general's office revealed that the cases shared similarities and that the public should be told of the threat.
Authorities have said the rapist sees a woman and then learns her routine. In each case, authorities said, the man wore a mask, and in many cases he had a gun.
Investigators have not disclosed whether they have recovered any DNA evidence.
