HOUSTON – Deputies said they have found a bloody shirt that may be connected to a teen's violent rape.
Harris County sheriff's deputies said a man grabbed a 16-year-old girl from behind and dragged her into a wooded area on Spring Cypress Road near Avenue D, about a mile east of the Northwest Freeway, about 11 p.m. Tuesday. The girl was hit in the head with a blunt object several times, officials said.
Investigators said the girl thought the man intended to kill her, so she did something that may have saved her life.
"She acts as if she has died," Deputy Armando Tamez said. "She doesn't move, doesn't flinch."
Her attacker apparently believed she was dead and walked away, investigators said.
After the attack, the girl, who was naked, managed to walk about a mile to a movie theater along Skinner Road near Spring Cypress.
The girl was rushed by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
About 11:40 p.m., the man suspected to have attacked the girl was spotted at a convenience store about a mile away from the scene, investigators said.
Deputies said a witness told them that the man went to the men's room and closed the door. He was wearing a blood-stained shirt when he went in, but left wearing a white, sleeveless muscle shirt, officials said. The witness said the man has scratches on his neck and face, detectives said.
Investigators said they found the shirt in a trashcan. Blood was smeared on the floor and walls in the restroom, sources said.
The attacker was described as white, and about 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall with a slim, muscular build and blond hair that is close-cut on the side and spiked in the front.
Detectives said they are working on a composite sketch.
"We need to get this guy off the street," Lt. Ruben Diaz said. "We need the public's help to get this guy."
Anyone with information about the crime call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.