RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Raleigh police have cracked a nearly 25-year-old cold case sexual assault investigation, resulting in the tracking and arrest of a suspect Friday (May 29) in Orange County, Virginia.
Reginald Taylor
(photo provided by Raleigh Police)
The investigation initiated on December 1, 2001, when Raleigh police officers responded to a reported sex offense that occurred at 7700 Mourning Dove Road. According to investigators, a male and a female victim were intercepted by an armed suspect, identified as Reginald Taylor, 48. Holding both victims at gunpoint, the suspect forced them to remove their clothing before executing a sexual assault against the female victim. The suspect then fled the scene.
During the course of the ongoing investigation, detectives discovered a closely matching sexual assault that occurred within the same year in Charlotte. In that separate incident, the suspect utilized a weapon, holding the victim at gunpoint. Critical clothing items recovered from the crime scenes were subsequently preserved and submitted to the Department of Justice State Crime Laboratory for advanced forensic analysis and DNA testing.
A breakthrough in the case was developed on May 8, 2026, when the NC Department of Justice State Crime Lab notified detectives of a DNA CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) match. The forensic hit conclusively linked Reginald Taylor to the physical evidence secured from both the Raleigh and Charlotte sexual assaults.
Following the positive identification, arrest warrants were issued. In coordination with the United States Marshals Service and Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor was located and taken into custody without incident in Orange County Virginia.
Taylor now faces multiple charges including two counts of first degree kidnapping, two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, first degree sexual offense and possession of firearm by a felon.
The United States Marshals Service and Orange County Sheriff’s Office were involved in locating and apprehending Taylor.