Vicki Miller-Cobb was raped in 1987 by a man who broke into her Akron, Ohio, home, tied her up while she held her baby, and sexually assaulted her. In 1993, the evidence in her case was destroyed, the Akron Beacon Journal reports. That wouldn't happen now. The statute of limitations for rape in Ohio is now 25 years instead of six as it was decades ago. Police departments are not only keeping the evidence in rape cases but also making sure that any cases with DNA evidence are tested by the state. “Thank goodness we’ve made significant progress,” said Akron Lt. Dave Whiddon. Whiddon, along with many victim advocates and state politicians, think Ohio’s statute of limitations for rape should be eliminated. This would put rape in the same category as murder, with no limit on how much time has passed since the crime occurred for a suspect to be charged. About half the states have already taken this step and pending legislation would make Ohio the next.
“We need to have no statute of limitations for sexual assault,” said Teresa Stafford of the Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center in Akron, which includes the Rape Crisis Center. “One of the things that is important to keep in the forefront is that sexual assault is a crime of opportunity and access. Most will continue to cause harm if they are not held accountable.” Old rapes can also be used to help solve old murders. That’s what happened with Thomas Collier Jordan. The now-deceased drifter from Cleveland was recently identified as the man who killed Janice Christensen at a park in 1987. Her case could only be solved using DNA from the rape kit of another of his victims.
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