A Lafayette County grand jury has indicted an Indiana man for a sexual assault that occurred in Oxford more than seven years ago.
According to the Oxford Police Department, investigators with OPD began an investigation into a sexual assault case on Oct. 20, 2013. The victim did not know the perpetrator.
In late 2020, investigators learned of a possible DNA match linking an individual to the sexual assault kit from 2013.
The suspect was located in Indiana and investigators worked with the Indiana Department of Corrections to acquire a new DNA sample so another comparison could be done at the state crime lab.
Once the crime lab finished testing the new samples collected from Indiana, they confirmed that Jerry Owens, 44, of Evansville, Indiana was a positive match. The case was presented to the Lafayette County grand jury last month and Owens was subsequently arrested for rape on Feb. 24.
He is currently being held without bond at the Lafayette County Detention Center.
OPD Chief Jeff McCutchen thanked investigators for their efforts by continuing to work on a cold case and to provide answers.
“We are grateful for the impassioned pursuit to bring closure to this case and to the victim,” McCutchen said.
If you, or anybody you know, is a survivor of abuse, reach out to the Oxford Police
Department or the national R.A.I.N.N. hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
Staff report
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