SMYRNA, Del.- Investigators with the Smyrna Police Department have arrested a man in connection with a cold case rape that occurred in June of 2013.
Police said that based on DNA evidence, Tyrone A. Turcotte, 22, of the 4100 block of North DuPont Highway in Smyrna was arrested on Friday, January 2.
Police said that on June 5, 2013, between the hours of 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., a 14-year-old female victim was approached from behind as she was walking between the Smyrna Mart Shopping Center to the George Wright Municipal Park, and was dragged into the woods and forcibly raped by an unknown white male suspect. According to police, the female victim provided information to investigators regarding the suspect and was treated for her injuries at Kent General Hospital. A sexual assault exam was performed by a S.A.N.E (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) nurse, at which time DNA was collected from the victim, police said. The Smyrna Police Department immediately released information to the public regarding this incident with a physical description which was provided by the victim in an attempt to identify the suspect in this case.
Investigators then turned the sexual assault kit, including the possible suspects DNA, over to the now State of Delaware Forensics Science laboratory for analysis. In February of 2014, investigators were notified that the analysis was found to belong to a male and was submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigations C.O.D.I.S (Combined DNA Index System) Unit for comparison with all known DNA samples.
In December of 2014, investigators were notified that the submitted unknown DNA profile matched the DNA profile of Tyrone A. Turcotte of Smyrna. The victim was immediately contacted, and upon contact by investigators, informed them she saw the suspect had been arrested a few months prior. Police said the female victim informed the investigators that she observed the same suspect who raped her was arrested for a sexual assault, and his picture was released in the newspapers and online. Upon seeing the picture of Turcotte, police said she immediately recognized him as the subject who attacked and raped her.
Using this new information and the DNA match, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Turcotte for two (2) counts of Rape 1st degree, kidnapping 1st degree, strangulation, unlawful sexual contact 2nd degree and assault 3rd degree. Turcotte was remanded to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in default of $160,000 cash bond pending future court date.
