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DNA Leads to Arrest in Cold Case Attack on Woman

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NEWARK, Del. (AP) - Authorities say information from a genealogical website and DNA from a rape kit has led to an arrest in a decades-old attack on a Delaware woman.

News outlets report Newark police and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings on Tuesday announced the October arrest and September sexual assault indictment of 54-year-old Jeffrey King, of Coatesville, Pennsylvania. King is accused in the 1993 rape of a 22-year-old woman who was attacked from behind as she walked down a Newark street.

The case grew cold and was reopened about two years ago as part of the state's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which seeks to process untested rape kits. Police Lt. Andrew Rubin says detectives obtained a "discarded item" from King this year that contained his DNA, which matched the rape kit sample.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.