A Pennsylvania man accused of raping four students at Penn State University for seven years and who was identified by genetic genealogy was arrested Tuesday, authorities said.
Jeffrey Fields, 36, faces multiple counts of rape for felony, sexual assault, and other crimes, the State College Police Department said in a statement.
Authorities say Fields assaulted the students, who were 19 or 20 years old, as of 2010 in places near the university. The last attack occurred in 2017, the department said.
DNA samples were initially connected to an unknown suspect, police said. Using genetic genealogy, a technique that combines DNA samples with profiles of consumer genetic testing companies, the researchers identified Fields as a suspect.
The process has been used to resolve dozens of high-profile cold cases across the United States, including a former California police officer who pleaded guilty last month to 13 murder charges.
The so-called Golden State Assassin, Joseph DeAngelo, 74, was accused of committing 13 murders and dozens of rapes in the state between 1975 and 1986.
Additional details about Fields’ arrest were not immediately released. It was unclear whether Fields, who is being held at the Center County Correctional Center, has an attorney.
