After decades of silence and untested evidence, justice might be on the horizon for survivors of three violent sexual assaults in Detroit, as a local man has been linked to the cold cases through recently examined rape kits. 51-year-old Akida Diaba Dudley was charged with a series of first-degree and third-degree criminal sexual conduct offenses related to attacks carried out in 1997 and 2004, officials shared with ClickOnDetroit.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy's office apprehended Dudley on Monday, citing a mission of accountability and the journey long-deserved for survivors; the Wayne County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force was hailed for their tireless pursuit, "We support our courageous survivors who are willing to come forward and prosecute these cases after waiting for so long for justice," Worthy said in a statement reported by The Detroit News. Dudley's docket lists a series of encounters that began with threats or deception, survivors assaulted after being coerced into his vehicle, and investigations that were stalled as rape kits collected dust until a 2009 discovery unearthed more than 11,000 untested kits.
The alleged crimes span over seven years, opening with an incident near Grand River and West Warren where a 30-year-old woman was threatened with a knife and left with minimal clothing, first reported by ClickOnDetroit. Investigators from the Wayne County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force highlighted Dudley's pattern; he reportedly engaged in a similar act upon a 16-year-old girl near Livernois and Fenkell, and years later, an 18-year-old near Fenkell and Wyoming, as detailed in reporting by FOX 2 Detroit.
