Authorities seeking other possible victims of suspected rapist, burglar
Kevin Lee Francois, 44
LOS ANGELES — In a statement released Wednesday morning, the California Department of Justice asked for the public’s help in identifying other possible victims of a man suspected of multiple rapes and burglaries.
Kevin Lee Francois, 44, was arrested for loitering around a Newport Beach apartment complex in January. During his arrest, Francois resisted officers, a felony which required him to submit a DNA sample. Analysis of his DNA followed and was found to match DNA recovered from an unsolved 2003 rape and burglary in Tempe, Arizona.
During the investigation that followed, detectives found several pieces of evidence in Francois’ Fullerton apartment that indicated he may have been involved in many other assaults and burglaries that occurred all over the United States, possibly for decades.
The items found included over 300 school and government photo identifications, pictures of unidentified women and “worn women’s underwear.”
Authorities believe Francois most recently resided in Orange and Los Angeles counties but traveled regularly. He worked as a painter.
His primary targets were college-age women that lived in residential areas near colleges. Francois is suspected of breaking into these women’s homes then sometimes returning at a later time to attack them. The department also noted that Francois attended major sporting events throughout the world such as the Olympics and Super Bowl.
Francois is currently in the custody of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and is scheduled to be extradited to Arizona.
Anyone with additional information regarding Francois, or who knows someone that may be a victim or believes they themselves were a victim, is encouraged to call (323) 869-3400.
