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New DNA Hit Ties Maryland Man To 20-Year-Old Attempted Murder, Rape Cold Case, State Police Say

Two decades after a 20-year-old woman was found raped and dropped unconscious in a ditch off the side of I-95 in Cecil County, Maryland State Police investigators have apprehended a suspect in the cold case.

The body was ditched on the side of I-95 off of Frenchtown Road near Port Deposit in Cecil County

The body was ditched on the side of I-95 off of Frenchtown Road near Port Deposit in Cecil County

Photo Credit: Google Maps satellite view

Harford County resident Bryant Nakia White, 48, of Edgewood, is facing multiple charges for the 2002 attack of a woman whose body was ditched on the side of the interstate off of Frenchtown Road near Port Deposit.

Investigators said that at approximately 4 a.m. on April 6, 2002, a truck driver noticed the body of a woman - whose name has not been released "due to the nature of the crimes committed” - in the ditch, prompting him to call 911 and provide emergency assistance.

Troopers from the North East Barrack along with EMS personnel responded to the scene to transport the woman to an area hospital for treatment and evaluation.

During the initial investigation, officials say that it was processed by crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division, where evidence was collected, including photographs.

The initial investigation also included a forensic examination where DNA was collected and stored as evidence, according to investigators. During the course of the investigation, few leads were generated and the investigation was ultimately suspended for more than a decade.

In March 2020, the case was reopened by an investigator with the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division, despite not having any new DNA hits since the initial investigation.

According to investigators, state police requested assistance from the FBI Baltimore Division regarding their use of investigative genealogy, which led them to identify White as a person of interest.

He was arrested at his Harford County home on Thursday, Nov. 10, and a grand jury indicted him on multiple charges earlier this month.

The indictment charges White with:

  • Attempted second-degree murder;
  • Kidnapping;
  • First-degree rape;
  • Second-degree rape;
  • Assault;
  • Other criminal charges.

He is currently being held at the Cecil County Detention Center without bail. No return court dates have been announced.

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