Authorities in the Lehigh Valley have charged a man who they say lured women from across the United States to meet him in person and then he held them against their will, forced them to do drugs, and raped them.
Seth Mull, 30, of Hellertown, Pennsylvania, was arrested on Oct. 29, after a woman he abducted called police to the man's hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, police said.
The woman told detectives she connected with Mull on an online dating site. When she went to meet him, he attacked her and forced her do cocaine and smoke crystal meth, police said.
"She reported that Mull choked her to the point of passing out and raped her," Northampton County district attorney John Morganelli said. "Mull also threatened her family and threatened to use her in human trafficking."
The woman suffered bruises and a burn to her back during the assault, police said.
This woman was far from his only victim, Morganelli said. Since Mull's arrest, at least six women have come forward alleging the man carried out similar acts on them.
Morganelli described Mull as a "series predator" who attacked women in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; New Jersey; and Hawaii. Authorities believe there may be additional victims.
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Authorities are also investigating whether Mull ever carried out his threats of forcing the women into sex trafficking. Morganelli said police found human trafficking and online dating websites in the internet browsing history on Mull's computer.
Mull faces nine charges including forcible rape, strangulation, unlawful restraint and possession of controlled substances. He is being held in the Northampton County Jail on $500,000 bail. His court appointed attorney was not available for comment.
