3 recent city assaults linked to serial attacker

Toledo police are looking for a serial attacker they say sexually assaulted two teenage girls and attempted to abduct a woman over the last two weeks.

The most recent attack was at 9 a.m. Friday, when a 15-year-old girl walking to school was pulled into the woods at Highland Park near South and Woodsdale avenues and sexually assaulted. Police believe the same man tried to abduct a 19-year-old woman at gunpoint as she walked to work in the 800 block of South about 8:25 a.m. Thursday. She struggled, yelled for help, and escaped.

On Nov. 5, a 13-year-old girl was sexually assaulted about three miles away, in the 1300 block of East Broadway, shortly before 8 a.m.

The victims gave similar descriptions of their attacker. He was a black male, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and in his 20s, and either was bald, had short hair, or wore a skull cap.

“We are making a connection. Basically, the attacks were all in the same general area,” Sgt. Patrick Skinner said.