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A DNA match found at two separate slayings of women in Austin and Bastrop County has law-enforcement agencies asking for the public’s help to track down a possible serial killer.
Among those agencies is the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office.
An Austin Police Department murder case from June took on new urgency Aug. 7 when DNA evidence linked an unidentified individual to the 2018 homicide of 28-year-old Alba Jenisse Aviles in Bastrop County, investigators said.
Both deaths were sexual in nature, police said.
The tie in Aviles’ demise to the more recent case was discovered after Austin police responded to a call about 4 p.m. June 21 and discovered the body of Alyssa Ann Rivera, 34, inside an abandoned home south of Lady Bird Lake.
A forensic examination determined she was strangled and sexually assaulted Surveillance footage showed Rivera walking with a man shortly before her death, and authorities said they would like to question the individual.
Aviles’ death initially was investigated by the Bastrop County deputies. Her body was found in her parked car after leaving an Austin club April 14, 2018.
Like Rivera, Aviles had been sexually assaulted and strangled, with both crime scenes showing a similar pattern of violence, according to reports.
Authorities considered these cases isolated incidents until the DNA connection was established in August.
Austin homicide Sgt. Nathan Sexton indicated there could be more victims, but these are the only two cases currently linked.
Despite extensive investigation, the DNA from the suspected killer does not match any existing records in the national Combined DNA Index System, according to Austin officers.
The Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers are continuing efforts to identify the suspect, described as a short Hispanic man.
Authorities do not believe Rivera and Aviles knew each other or had any connections.
Law-enforcement investigators are urging anyone with information about either case to come forward.
Tips can be reported to Austin police at 512-974TIPS or anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program at austincrimestoppers.org.
