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Suspect composite likeness
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The vicious assault on a Normal Park woman has sent the Ypsilanti Police Department into high gear, with all personnel at all levels engaged in the investigation, according to Chief George Basar.
The brutal beating Nov. 7 of Roberta Citino, 49, happened during the mid-morning daylight hours and left the woman hospitalized for several days. She has been cooperating with police, working with a Michigan State Police sketch artist to develop a composite likeness of the perpetrator.
Citino was raking leaves in her yard when she noticed a man who appeared to be checking doors across the street in an attempt to gain access. She went in the side door of her home with the intent of locking her front door, only to be confronted by the suspect, who had already gained entry. He immediately attacked her.
Citino fought back, a fight that lasted an estimated 20 to 30 minutes before the attacker rendered her unconscious. After regaining consciousness, Citino managed to get to the porch of her neighbor, Teressa Sims, who found her and called 911. Sims later stated she had not recognized her neighbor until Citino called out her own name.
Ypsilanti Police evidence technicians worked into the night processing the scene and collecting any available evidence. That evidence has been sent to the MSP Crime Lab, which has been asked to rush its analysis. Still, Basar said it is expected to take a month to process the evidence through the Crime Lab and he is looking for a private laboratory to provide a faster turnaround. Money to pay for the private lab would have to be found.
Information gained during the investigation indicated the suspect's motive was sexual assault, not robbery. Citino was not sexually assaulted, however. Neighborhood residents have speculated that the suspect believed she was dead.
Neighborhood associations were notified quickly by e-mail and the composite drawing of the suspect, along with his description, was distributed both by e-mail and by flyer.
At a meeting of Normal Park and Woods Roads residents held last Saturday, Basar and Deputy Chief Matt Harshberger informed the approximately 70 attendees of the intense investigation being conducted. Besides reassigning two former detectives from road patrol back to the detective bureau, the Major Crimes Unit of the Michigan State Police is also working on the case.
Detectives from all other Washtenaw County police agencies are also assisting. Basar noted these agencies are also going through old case files, looking for similarities. An FBI profiler is being used to help identify the suspect.
The suspect is described as a black male in his late 30s to mid-40s, between 5'-10" and 6'-2" in height, with a slim build, close-cropped black hair and brown eyes. He was clean-shaven and wearing a light brown or tan casual coat, baggy gray sweatpants and dark shoes.
Anyone with any information should call the Ypsilanti Police Department at 1-734-483-9510.
Basar told the meeting attendees not to become hostages in their own homes, but to pay attention and be extra vigilant. He stressed getting details of any suspicious individuals, such as height and type of build. He asked residents to pay attention to clothing descriptions such as colors and styles, shoes, writing or emblems on shirts or jackets, jewelry, earrings, body piercings, tattoos, etc.
The officers also asked for descriptions of any suspicious vehicles.
"Make, model and color," Basar said. "The direction it's traveling. A license number would be fantastic. But if you can't get that, what color is the plate? Does the plate have a design? Was there any damage to the vehicle?"
He stressed that a detail that seemed insignificant to the witness may have major importance to investigators.
"We need good witnesses," he said. "We rely on you to be our extra eyes and ears in the community."
The officers observed that the area is an upper middle class neighborhood and many of the households have no one at home during the day. This makes residents who are home during the daylight hours even more isolated.
"This was not a targeted attack, but a crime of opportunity," Harshberger noted. "So, check on your neighbors, especially ones who don't have computers and may not have heard about this. And call us. If something – anything — strikes you as wrong, as out of place, call us.
"Even if you're not sure it's the guy we want, let us make that determination. Let us know and we'll come out."
Harshberger noted that he'd heard several people say they were hesitant to "bother" the police.
"Bother us," he pleaded. "You don't know what we're looking for. Trust your instincts and call us."
Basar said he'd been told some residents have been carrying their cell phones, even when in their own yards. He cautioned that cell phones are not as good as cordless phones with a hardwired line inside the house for this purpose. The hardwired lines allow the 911 dispatcher to locate where the call is coming from.
A cell phone's signal goes to a nearby tower and is then directed to the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department, which must then determine the area from which the call is coming. This delays response by crucial minutes.
Basar also noted that Internet digital telephone providers may not yet have location features. The federal government now requires them to provide locators for local emergency agencies, but Basar said it might be another year before this service is in place. People with the digital service should check with their providers to determine if they could be located in case of emergency.
In response to a question about whether or not Normal Park will see more crime, as the perception might be that residents are easily victimized, Basar said the heightened sense of awareness residents now have about their surroundings and the people passing through their neighborhoods is a deterrent to more crime at this time.
"Crooks are stupid, but not stupid enough to come into an area where everyone is on alert and watching," he said.
Basar urged people to go to the police website, www.ypsilantipolice.org, to view the composite and learn about updates in the investigation.
Crimestoppers is posting a $1,000 reward and interest has been expressed by local residents and businesses in raising the reward amount. Crimestoppers' Tip Line is 1-800-773-2587.
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