Elias Diaz Charged in Four Cold-Case Sexual Assaults

Diaz, initially arrested for recent machete attacks, now faces charges for the 2003 murder of Rebecca Park and three other unsolved sexual assaults.

Elias Diaz, 46, initially arrested for recent machete attacks in Philadelphia, has been charged with the cold-case rape and murder of medical student Rebecca Park in 2003.
Diaz has now also been charged in three other unsolved sexual assaults, two in Fairmount Park in 2003 and one in Pennypack Park in 2007.
Diaz was identified as a key person of interest in the cold cases through advanced genetic genealogy analyses, but was elusive until his arrest for the recent machete attacks.
Police say Diaz's DNA matches the DNA recovered from one of the 2003 rape victims.
Diaz is being held without bail and could face additional charges as police reevaluate other unsolved cases for potential links.