Man’s DNA allegedly linked to sexual assaults in Arizona, Utah
David Slade (Photo Courtesy: Coconino County Sheriff's Office)
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - A man accused of sexual assaults in Arizona and Utah more than 15 years ago has been arrested after DNA analysis pointed investigators to his relatives, authorities said Friday.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office arrested 58-year-old David Louis Slade of Eagar, Arizona on Thursday on charges of kidnapping, burglary and sexual assault.
Authorities say his DNA matched that of an assailant who sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman after breaking into her home outside Flagstaff in 2003. DNA from that scene was later matched to DNA from a 2004 sexual assault of a young woman in Cedar City, Utah.
Early last year, investigators identified two potential relatives of the suspect by matching DNA from the Flagstaff assault with samples of people who’d been arrested or convicted of unrelated crimes. The suspect matches led them to Slade. Investigators collected DNA from him on Dec. 27, and authorities say it matched the DNA from the 2003 Flagstaff assault.
It was not clear if Slade had an attorney to comment on his behalf.