HOUSTON – Houston police are asking the public to come forward after investigators arrested a 62-year-old man they say is connected to multiple sexual assault cases spanning nearly two decades.
Authorities announced Friday that Philip Cerf, 62, has been charged in two sexual assault cases. Investigators believe he may be connected to additional assaults and are asking anyone with information or who believes they may have been victimized to contact the Houston Police Department.
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“This is about getting justice for these victims of these heinous crimes and for their families,” FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson said during a news conference.
According to HPD Commander Michael Menendez, detectives investigated four sexual assaults reported in north Houston between 1997 and 2016. Although the cases went unsolved for years, investigators never stopped searching for answers.
“It was not until recently, through advances in technology, that a suspect was identified,” Menendez said.
In each case, survivors underwent forensic sexual assault examinations, commonly known as sexual assault kits. Evidence collected during those investigations was later linked to Cerf through advances in forensic technology, police said.
Investigators outlined several of the reported assaults:
- On June 29, 1997, a woman accepted a ride from a man near West Little York Road. Police said he drove her to another location where she was sexually and physically assaulted.
- On April 9, 2009, another woman reported she was picked up near her home before being taken to another location where she was sexually and physically assaulted.
- On July 3, 2016, a woman walking to a gas station was approached by the suspect, taken to another location and sexually and physically assaulted.
Police also said they are investigating a possible 1988 case that may be connected to Cerf.
According to investigators, Cerf has worked as a truck driver and has traveled throughout the United States, leading authorities to believe there could be additional victims in other jurisdictions.
HPD Chief J. Noe Diaz urged anyone with information to come forward.
“We believe there are other potential victims who were sexually assaulted by Philip Cerf,” Diaz said. “Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Houston Police Department.”
Mayor John Whitmire praised the work of investigators, saying solving violent crimes remains one of the city’s top priorities.
“I want Houstonians to know we don’t rest,” Whitmire said. “It’s all hands on deck, around the clock, seven days a week. And we’re getting results. Results to get a violent, repeat offender off the streets of Houston, where they need to be, in jail.”
The FBI said its Investigative Genetic Genealogy Team in Houston helped support the investigation and is also encouraging anyone who believes they may have encountered Cerf to contact law enforcement.
Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact the Houston Police Department.