Arrest made in 32-year-old NC sexual assault cold case

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — An arrest has been made in a 32-year-old sexual assault case, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police announced Wednesday.

55-year-old Dulaine Lotharp has been arrested and charged in connection with two sexual assault cases from 1993 and 1994.

On July 22, 1993, a woman reported that she was sexually assaulted by a suspect she did not know in the Providence area. She later went to the Carolinas Medical Center, where a rape kit was done.

Over a year later, on August 25, 1994, another victim was attacked and sexually assaulted by someone she didn’t know while walking on a wooded path, also in the Providence area. Police were called, and she was also transported to the hospital, where a rape kit was completed.

At the time of the assaults, detectives were unsuccessful in identifying the suspect. DNA technology was still in its early stages and limitations in forensic testing made analyzing the evidence difficult.

Sexual assault cold case detectives eventually picked up the cases. Through federal funding, detectives were able to submit DNA samples for retesting and Lotharp was identified as the suspect in both cases.

On August 30, Lotharp was arrested and charged with:

• Three counts of first-degree rape
• Two counts of first-degree kidnapping
• Common law robbery
• Communicating threats

Despite the arrest, the investigation remains active and ongoing.