Suspect arrested for kidnapping and sexually abusing toddlers —one almost 40 years ago
A suspect has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two young girls who were snatched from their bedrooms — including a toddler taken nearly 40 years ago.
David Mundt, 61, was recently arrested after a cold case investigation opened earlier this year used advanced DNA technology to tie him to two similar cases — one in October 1992 in Texas and another in Arizona in July 1986, according to police in Phoenix.
In the 1986 case, a toddler — who was not identified — was snatched “in the middle of the night” by somehow who broke into the family’s home in Phonix, police said.
The kidnapper took the child to a construction site, sexually assaulted the child and took off when the toddler started screaming,” police said in a video statement.
“Unfortunately, officers were unable to identify the suspect,” the department said.
However, a cold case investigation was first opened in 2011 to see if DNA could help solve the sick crime — and it showed a match to the 1992 assault in Henderson, TX, cops said.
“The case was eerily similar to the 1986 case,” Phoenix police said, with the suspect also breaking into a home to sexually assault a 7-year-old girl, according to the Henderson News.
Still, the DNA from both cases did not match a named individual in any police databases, so “the puzzle went unsolved,” police said.
However, another cold case was opened this year — and even more advanced genetic genealogy technology helped officers make a match to Mundt, the department said.
A DNA match was made with a “surreptitious” sample taken while he was in custody for driving on a suspended license, according the Henderson News. He lived 30 miles from the Henderson attack.
Mundt was charged in August for the Texas case and held on $1 million bail. Officials in Arizona are now seeking to exrtradite him there on charges of kidnapping and sexual assault.
World News || Latest News || U.S. News
Source link