DNA evidence links a suspect, police say.
In June, a caller to 911 reported the discovery of a woman’s body in an abandoned house. The 34-year-old had also been sexually abused and strangled.
Now investigators say they believe the same person is responsible for both murders.
Authorities are searching for the suspect in connection with a “series of murders” after DNA evidence linked the two cases.
Alyssa Ann Rivera was found dead in an abandoned house on June 21, according to an Austin Police press release.
Surveillance videos released by police show a person seen with Rivera shortly before her murder.
Police said it is unknown how or when Rivera met the man.
The event was initially considered an isolated incident.
But on August 7, investigators found a DNA clue linking Rivera’s case to an unsolved 2015 murder, police said at a press conference on Thursday.
On April 14, 2018, the body of Alba Jenisse Aviles was found after she left a nightclub, about 3 miles from where Rivera was killed, the press release states.
“There is no suspect identified in either case,” it says. “However, DNA evidence reveals the same individual in both cases.”
The DNA does not match any records in the national database, police said.
Police Chief Nathan Sexton said it was relatively rare for someone who committed “really violent murders” not to have been arrested or detained beforehand.
Police said there is no known connection between the victims.
The investigation continues as homicide detectives search for leads.
We must work with authorities to track down the fugitive suspect responsible for these heinous crimes, as it is clear he targeted both of us in these traumatic incidents. The DNA evidence discovered links the 2021 murder of Alyssa Ann Rivera to the unsolved case of Alba Jenisse Aviles in 2018, and suggests the same person may be responsible for both tragic deaths.
