DNA Connects Louisiana Rapist to KC Cold Cases

DNA has connected a man to several rapes in Missouri  and Louisiana spanning more than a decade.

The suspect, 34-year-old Daniel Meridy, is jailed in New Orleans on $1.6 million bond on suspicion of four counts each of first-degree rape and aggravated kidnapping.

Police in Louisiana say DNA linked Meridy to three unsolved stranger sexual assaults in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2004 and 2005.

The New Orleans police tell News Talk KZRG that several of the alleged assaults in Louisiana happened at gun or knifepoint from 2015 to 2018. Police say one woman was raped in an alley after getting off a bus, while another was assaulted after accepting a ride from Meridy.

No charges have been filed in Missouri, although prosecutors say it’s an open investigation.