Raleigh police arrest man linked to decades old sexual assault cold case investigation

A man has been arrested by Raleigh police after a 25-year-old cold case sexual assault investigation.

Officers arrested Reginald Dwayne Taylor, 48, on Friday. Taylor is accused of sexually assaulting a woman on December 1, 2001, in Raleigh.

According to investigators, a man and a woman were taken by an armed suspect, now identified as Taylor. Investigators said Taylor held both victims at gunpoint and forced them to remove their clothes before assaulting the woman. Officers said Taylor then fled the scene.

Authorities said detectives discovered a closely matching sexual assault that happened that same year in Charlotte. In that incident, authorities said the suspect also held the victim at gunpoint.

Investigators said clothes recovered from both scenes were preserved and submitted to the Department of Justice State Crime Laboratory for testing.

On Friday, May 8, investigators say the NC DOJ State Crime Lab notified detectives of a DNA match that linked Taylor to evidence secured at both scenes. He was arrested in Orange County, Virginia.

Taylor now faces several charges, including:

·         First-degree rape

·         Two counts of first-degree kidnapping 

·         Two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon 

·         First-degree sexual offense

·         Possession of a firearm by a felon