Richmond Police detectives are investigating two reported sexual assaults involving elderly women after an unknown man allegedly entered a home through an unlocked door in each case. Both incidents were reported in recent months, and officers say the common thread in each case is that an unlocked door provided entry. Police have not determined whether the incidents involve the same suspect.
According to WTVR, detectives are investigating two incidents reported in recent months. In each case, an unknown male allegedly entered a home through an unlocked door and sexually assaulted an elderly woman. Police have not determined whether the cases involve the same suspect. As WWBT reported, both reported incidents involve a suspect entering a home through an unlocked door and sexually assaulting an elderly woman, though the two cases happened in separate parts of the city.
Investigators Stop Short of Linking the Cases
Richmond Police detectives have not yet determined whether the incidents are connected or involve the same suspect, per the station's report. Investigators cited the incidents occurring in two separate city areas, along with slight differences in suspect descriptions, as the reasons they are currently investigating the cases separately rather than as a single pattern.
That caution matters because Richmond has seen a cluster of similar home-invasion style assaults before. In late summer, police said six related incidents occurred between August 29 and September 11 across three southside neighborhoods off Jahnke Road, according to WRIC. Those earlier incidents, which happened between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., involved a suspect entering homes through unlocked doors and either exposing himself or assaulting female occupants, the outlet reported.
Police Urge Residents to Lock Up and Stay Alert
The Richmond Police Department is urging everyone to keep their doors locked at all times and to call 911 if they see anything suspicious. The department issued a similar warning after the southside incidents, telling residents to secure their homes by locking all doors and windows and to report suspicious people or activity to 911.
Anyone with information about the Chimborazo and Fan cases can contact Major Crimes Detective D. Jones at (804) 646-5316 or reach Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. During the earlier southside investigation, police had directed tips to Major Crimes Detective Janet Mills and Detective Greg Russell, or to Crime Stoppers.
