Snatched in the Dead of Night

February 28, 2008

Early on the morning of January 20, 2008, 19-year-old Brianna Denison, a sophomore at Santa Barbara City College, was literally kidnapped from an apartment in Reno, Nevada, where she slept, while home on winter break. Nearly a month later, following intensive search efforts, Brianna’s body was found in a brushy field not far from a business park. An autopsy determined that she had been strangled, and the police believe that she was the victim of a serial rapist who had now escalated his crimes to that of murder. A pair of black thong-style "Pink Panther" panties was found with the body, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. However, DNA testing concluded that the panties were not Brianna’s. Instead, the DNA found on the panties belonged to an unknown woman, and also contained male DNA that matches that of the suspected serial rapist. Police believe that the killer is responsible for rape attacks against at least two other women, and everyone concerned fears that he will strike again.

According to a statement by Reno Deputy Police Chief Jim Johns to the Associated Press, Brianna’s body had been in the field where it was found for more than a week. The location is approximately 8 miles from where Brianna was last seen, near the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).

"I would say this is a serial rapist," Johns told reporters at a news conference. "We have two, probably three cases linked through DNA."

Johns said that he was concerned that the man committing the sexually-motivated crimes would strike again, and urged anyone with information about the cases to contact the police.

Brianna, according to People magazine, had always been mindful about her safety and security. On the night in question, January 19, 2008, she had made plans with friends to attend a number of parties and had provided her mother with a list of the locations where she would be that night. Following the parties, Brianna went home with a female friend and crashed on the friend’s couch at 4:30 a.m. When her friend awoke some four and a half hours later, Brianna was gone. A bloodstain was discovered on the pillow she used that morning, and the front door was found unlocked...

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