Cops Seek Public's Help In Frustrating Rape Case

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Cops say the rape victim identified this man as her attacker. Now, cops want to question him about the case.

Investigators in Fauquier County, Va. have a frustrating case on their hands -- and they need the public's help in closing the books on it once and for all.

On Saturday, August 18, 2007, an 18-year-old girl in the county finished work and headed home to her family's home like usual. Cops say she asked her parents if she could borrow their car to grab some food and meet some friends.

Cops say around 2:00 a.m., the teen ended up at a Wawa gas station and convenience store in Stafford, Va. Police say she was sitting in the car in the parking lot when a man knocked on the window and asked for a ride to a bar just down the street. The teen figured it was close enough, and the man seemed normal -- so she agreed to let him in the car. But soon enough, cops say the man's true intentions became clear.

A Never-Ending Drive

Cops say for the next hour, the man led the unsuspecting teen all over the county, repeatedly changing his desired destination, and eventually asking her to pull down a desolate path leading to a dairy farm so he could "relieve himself." According to police, the teen was extremely worried at this point, and focused on keeping the man distracted and happy. She engaged him in conversation, during which he said his name was Brian. He mentioned he "missed Hawaii" and said he was from N.J. but was in the area visiting his cousin.

Cops say the man got out of the car, apparently relieved himself, then got back in. But as they were driving off, he asked her to stop again, claiming he'd lost his cell phone. When the teen got out of the car to help him search, cops say he attacked and raped her.

Police say the sexual assault ended only when some dairy farm workers pulled up the desolate driveway. At that point, cops say the suspect took off running through the field. The girl took the opportunity to flee, and ran to a nearby location to call 9-1-1. When police arrived, they used canine cops to track the suspect's scent, but they lost the track in a cornfield.

Surveillance Video Shows Potential Suspect

Luckily, cameras were rolling inside the Wawa at the time the teen was outside in her car. When police showed the victim the video, she immediately singled out one man as her attacker.

Now, police want to find the man in the surveillance video and question him in relation to the sexual assault.