A Delaware man was arrested over a year after he allegedly raped a teenage girl near a shopping center.
Tyrone Turcotte, 22, of Smyrna, Delaware was arrested Friday in connection with a rape that occurred in June of 2013.
On June 5, 2013 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., a 14-year-old girl was walking between the Smyrna Shopping Center to the George Wright Municipal Park in Smyrna when a man, later identified by investigators as Turcotte, approached her from behind and dragged her into a wooded area.
Turcotte then raped her before fleeing the scene, according to investigators.
The teen girl was treated for her injuries at the Kent General Hospital where her DNA was collected. The girl also gave officials a description of her attacker.
Investigators turned the sexual assault kit, which included the possile suspect's DNA, to the State of Delaware Forensics Science Laboratory for analysis. In February of 2014 investigators were notified the analysis belonged to a male and it was submitted to the FBI Combined DNA Index System Unit (CODIS).
In December of 2014 officials determined the submitted DNA profile matched the DNA profile of Turcotte. Officials then contacted the teen girl who told them Turcotte was arrested a few months prior for another sexual assault. After seeing his photo in online publications and newspapers, the girl recognized Turcotte as the same man who raped her, according to investigators.
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Turcotte is charged with rape, kidnapping, strangulation, unlawful sexual contact and assault. He was remanded to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in default of $160,000 cash bond pending a future court date.
