Baltimore police managed to track down a man accused of kidnapping, assault and sex abuse. Their investigation came to a close after a very crucial yet unexpected tip: a box of dental rubber bands.
Police say 46-year-old Charles Avon Taylor approached a 71-year-old woman in Leakin Park earlier this month. The woman told investigators the two started a conversation when he became irritable, per WMAR 2 News. He then pulled a gun on her and threatened to kill her. When she tried to run away, he allegedly resorted to violently assaulting her. Arrest documents say he kidnapped the woman, brought her to an encampment area, where tied her to a chair where he sexually assaulted her and choked her unconscious.
When she woke, she managed to flee and flag down a bystander who called the police, leading to a hospitalization for her injuries to her face. It took three days to track down her attacker and you’d never believe what led the cops to him.
Read more from NBC News:
Investigators also found “packets of elastics used for braces.” The manufacturer was contacted, and detectives learned there was only one dental office in Maryland — in Ellicott City, about 13 miles west of Baltimore — that supplied the rubber bands.
Police showed an artist’s rendering of the suspect to staff members at the dental office, and they recognized the photo as possibly being that of the suspect, court records said. The victim later identified the man in the photo, officials said.
Taylor faces kidnapping, assault and sex abuse crimes. His previous record showed he was convicted of first-degree rape in 2000.
Police say he checked himself into the psych ward the day after the incident but now, he’s sitting somewhere in the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center.