There have been no leads in the two South Campus sexual assaults that occurred on Aug. 31 and Sept. 4. Chief of University Police Gerald Schoenle said that with little evidence in the cases, progress is hard to come by.
"There is really not a lot of suspect information in either case, so we don't have a lot to go on," he said.
In the Aug. 31 rape of a UB student between Michael Hall and Goodyear Hall, the attacker was described as a large-framed male with a deep voice. The Sept. 4 rape of a 24-year-old non-student near Hayes Hall involved two male attackers. No other physical descriptions have been released by the University Police Department (UPD).
Schoenle said the investigations are continuing, and the UPD is waiting for results from medical exams of the victims. The two assaults are still believed to be unrelated.
"We don't feel there is any connection between them," Schoenle said. "There is no clear cut evidence that would link them at all."
The Sept. 9 rape of a woman on the 1600 block of Hertel Avenue is also said to have no connection to the previous incidents. The assailant was described as a white male with a slim build, wearing an earring and a baseball cap.
Buffalo Police spokesman Michael DeGeorge declined to comment on whether or not a suspect had been identified. The case still remains under investigation by the Buffalo Police Sex Offense Squad, which is interviewing witnesses.
Another rape occurred two miles west of the area on Monday night, according to the Buffalo News. A woman walking near Hertel Avenue and Military Road was forced into a green sport utility vehicle and sexually assaulted by five men.
The two Hertel Avenue attacks are also not believed to be related, in part due to the differences in the number of attackers.
"The circumstances are hugely different," DeGeorge said.
Any information on the sexual assaults should be reported to the University Police at 645-2222 or to the Buffalo Police Department confidential tip line at 847-2255.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
