PHOENIX — A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection to two cold-case sexual assaults dating back to 2016, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
Zackarias Mudasir was arrested last week for his alleged involvement in a 2016 sexual assault of a 19-year-old and a 2017 sexual assault of a 13-year-old, police said.
Officials said the department's Adult Sex Crimes Cold Case unit detectives used DNA to link Mudasir to the assaults and obtained a warrant for his arrest.
Phoenix police said the Adult Sex Crimes Cold Case unit is a new detail that started in December. Officials said the unit has already made 11 cold case arrests in the four months they’ve been working.
“These crimes don’t have a statute of limitations, so it does give us an opportunity to work these, even though they may be older,” said Sgt. Phillip Krynsky. “Detectives, their goal is to be able to bring closure to these victims and their families.”
The unit was created because of the large number of unsolved cases, and to alleviate the workload on detectives handling new cases, Krynsky said.
The team is composed of six detectives from different investigative backgrounds and one sergeant. The unit is looking at cases as far back as 1995.
“In some cases, previously, there wasn’t enough of a quality of evidence to obtain a sample, but as technology advances, they were able to get hits when they didn’t, weren’t able to get a DNA profile before,” Krynsky said.
“Just because leads may go cold doesn’t mean that we are going to stop, if you commit a crime, were going identify you and were going to find you,” he added.
Mudasir was also arrested in August of 2019 after police said he got past a fence into a restricted area at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and activated a plane's emergency slide.
Court records show Mudasir was sentenced to 2.5 years of supervised probation.
Mudasir is facing charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and sexual conduct with a minor.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Un hombre fue arrestado por 2 agresiones sexuales sin resolver en Phoenix
Silent Witness:
Arizona's Silent Witness program allows people to send in tips and share information about crimes happening within their local communities.
The program shares unsolved felony case information in multiple ways, including TV, radio and social media.
Anyone who has information on a crime or recognizes a suspect described by the program is asked to call 480-948-6377, go to the program's website online or download the Silent Witness app to provide a tip. The identity of anyone who submits a tip is kept anonymous.
Calls to Silent Witness are answered 24/7 by a live person and submitted tips are accepted at all times. Submitted tips are then sent to the detective(s) in charge of the specific case.
Individuals who submit tips that lead to an arrest or indictment in the case can get a reward of up to $1,000.
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