California man arrested in 31-year-old Montgomery County rape case; police believe there could be more victims

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - Police in Montgomery County have made an arrest in a 31-year-old rape case. Now, they say there may be other victims out there. 

The suspect in the case is 62-year-old Xavier Battice of California. 

Police say on Sep. 24, 1992, Battice followed a woman after she got off of a bus near the 5400 block of Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase. 

Battice is accused of taking the woman to a nearby park and raping her before fleeing the scene. 

Police responded to the incident and collected evidence from the crime scene but for more than three decades, the suspect eluded them. 

Then, cold case detectives submitted evidence to the crime laboratory, and a DNA profile of the suspect was developed. The DNA was submitted into the Combined DNA Index System and came back as a match for Battice.     

Detectives were then able to obtain an arrest warrant for Battice, charging him with two counts of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree sex assault.  

He was found living in Morgan Hill, California and Montgomery County Police contacted local police there. 

Battice was then arrested by Morgan Hill Police Department and transported to a detention center in California where he awaited extradition to Montgomery County.  

On Friday, Dec. 15, Battice was transported by MCPD officers to the Montgomery County Central Processing, where he is being held without bond.   

Detectives say that Battice may have additional victims who have not contacted police. Anyone with information in this case is asked to submit a tip online or call 1-866-411-8477.