Crime & Safety
Jailed Man ID'd in "Cold Case" Rape
Detectives say DNA proves they have the man in custody who forcibly raped a teenaged girl nine years ago.
A has been identified as a rapist sought since he forced himself on a 17-year-old girl in 2003, according to a press release issued Tuesday by the and dated March 26, 2012:
During the past year and a half Detectives from the and Sheriff’s Departments have been working together in a , funded by a grant from the National Institute of Justice; their focus has been applying recent advancement in DNA technology towards solving some of the 20+ unsolved homicides and a handful of unsolved rapes.
Today the unit made its first arrest, for a 2003 forcible rape. In 2003 the then-17-year-old female victim and another teenager ran away from a group home in Angwin; they hitchhiked to Napa with an adult male.
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The teens were dropped off near Soscol and Imola Avenues. Another adult male, later identified as Dustin Lyons, picked them up to “cruise” and drove them to Westwood Hills Park.
While in the park Lyons forcibly sexually assaulted the victim; he later dropped the teens off back on Soscol Avenue, where the victim immediately reported the assault.
Find out what's happening in Napa Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
At the time Detectives were able to identity a possible suspect, Dustin Lyons; however, the victim had since been transferred out of the County.
In 2008 Lyons was tentatively identified by DNA analysis.
In 2011 Detectives in the Cold Case Unit obtained a sample of Lyons’ DNA; Lyons’s DNA and evidence from the case was analyzed by the California Department of Justice Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory in Richmond and Lyons was positively identified.
An arrest warrant was issued for Lyons charging him with one count of forcible rape; he turned himself in to authorities on 03/21.
At the time of his arrest Lyons was a registered sex offender, related to another offense.
Reporter Marsha Dorgan has been covering the Cold Case Unit for Napa Patch and said detectives have told her the rape victim, now in her 20s, has been very cooperative in working with them on the investigation.
For more about the Napa County Cold Case Unit, please see our Cold Cases topic page at napa.patch.com/topics/cold-cases
