Sketch of Suspect in Girl’s Rape Released

SANTA ANA — Police continued their search Wednesday for a gunman who abducted and raped a 12-year-old girl as she walked to school, and investigators released a composite sketch of the suspect.

Five detectives assigned to the case resumed their interviews with about half a dozen people--among them three classmates of the victim--who saw the suspect or his car about the time of the Tuesday morning attack, police said.

The victim, an eighth-grader, also spoke with investigators again Wednesday and helped them put together a sketch of the suspect, whom she described as a Spanish-speaking Latino man in his mid- to late 20s, about 5-feet-10, between 165 and 185 pounds with medium-length black hair combed back.

The victim, whose name is being withheld, also said that the suspect has a pockmarked face from acne scarring and was wearing a pearl-and-gold stud earring.

The gunman was driving a light-colored, newer model Ford Taurus station wagon, with a gray interior and tinted windows, and possibly had construction tools in the rear cargo area.

The girl was walking to class at Lathrop Intermediate School when she cut through an alley off of Highland Street, according to Police Sgt. Bob Clark. The kidnapper confronted her in the alley about 7:30 a.m. with a gun, threatened her and dragged her into his car, Clark said.

Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at (714) 245-8363.

The victim told police her attacker drove her to an unknown spot, sexually assaulted her and then dropped her off at a park before speeding off, according to Clark.

Three other girls walking to class at Lathrop saw the suspect standing beside his car at a street corner shortly before the abduction, and they also heard their classmate’s cries for help.

A man they alerted apparently called police twice but refused to give his name or explain in detail the location and nature of the attack, Clark said.

“It was frustrating for the officers. They were searching around but couldn’t find anything,” Clark said.

The three young witnesses, meanwhile, bolted to campus and frantically sought help from school officials, according to Lathrop Principal Gary Rankin. Police were already en route by then, but their search for the suspect and his car was unsuccessful.

Just before 8 a.m., the victim was dropped off at Santa Ana Memorial Park. She walked to the home of a relative, who then called police.

The girl was taken to a special unit at Martin Luther Hospital in Anaheim that examines, counsels and cares for child sexual assault victims. She was interviewed by investigators Tuesday and Wednesday as police sought to refine and improve the suspect description.

“It hasn’t been easy,” Clark said. “The girl was very traumatized, very upset, as you can imagine. This is a terrible thing to have happen. She is suffering.”

Many among the 2,100 students at Lathrop did not hear about the attack until Wednesday morning when teachers passed on the news in first-hour classes and handed out a one-page letter to be taken home to parents.

Rankin said he delayed the notification because the initial information about the incident was sketchy and he did not want to alarm parents without cause.

The letter cautions students to avoid walking alone or in less visible, out-of-the-way places, and it reminds them to loudly protest if a stranger bothers them. It offers little information about the nature of the attack and even states that “the student was returned safely to her family” after the abduction--an account Rankin said was based on his conversations with police.

“We gave out the information we have,” the principal said.

Even without the official notification, many parents heard about the abduction via media reports, and some opted to drive their youngsters to class or accompany them while walking.

“You can’t be too careful,” one mother said as she held her daughter’s hand and strolled away from campus after the final bell Wednesday. “She doesn’t talk to strangers, but anything can happen.”

More than a dozen students lingered near the front doors of the school after classes concluded Wednesday, and several said they knew the victim and were worried about her.

“It’s pretty sad,” said Marisela Torres, 13. “We want to call her and let her know we care, but we don’t want to make her feel bad.”

Torres said she walks home with half a dozen friends already, but she predicted the letter she had tucked into her notebook would still frighten her parents. “They’ll be upset, I know, and they’ll feel bad for her.”

Only a few parents called the school during the day, Rankin said, and the general mood in the surrounding Wilshire Square neighborhood remained calm.

“Daily vigilance is necessary because we don’t want anything to happen to our children,” Rankin said. “This is a very calm, very nice neighborhood. . . . I’ve been here 11 years and nothing like this has ever happened before. But we must be vigilant.”