Man Arrested for 1988 Norwalk Kidnapping, Sexual Assault

Norwalk Police have arrested a man they believe is responsible for the 1988 kidnapping and sexual assault of a teenage girl.

On Friday, Dec. 6, police arrested Osvaldo Muniz, 66, at his place of work in Bridgeport.

According to police, on August 4, 1988 at approximately 4:50 a.m., the 19-year old victim was staying with friends at 129 Wolfpit Avenue, Norwalk.

The young woman was awoken by footsteps upstairs and went to see if it was her friend arriving home.

When she exited the basement, she was grabbed from behind. A hand was placed over her mouth and a knife put to her throat.

Police say she was dragged out of the house, across the front yard and across a second lawn with a wooded edge where she was sexually assaulted.

Police investigated the incident and a sketch of the suspect was released to the public. Police followed several leads but never named a suspect and the case went cold.

In 2011, Lt. Art Weisgerber reviewed the case file and noted that some of the evidence might be suitable for DNA analysis that was not available in 1988.

The evidence that was originally collected was brought to the Connecticut Forensic Laboratory in Meriden in August 2013.

The lab was able to develop an offender DNA profile from the evidence. That profile was entered into the CT Offender DNA Database and received a hit on the DNA on October, 15, 2013.

That hit identified Muniz as the offender. Norwalk police collected an additional DNA sample from Muniz. That DNA sample identified and confirmed Muniz as the potential offender.

Muniz was taken into custody and charged with Kidnapping and Aggravated Sexual Assault. He is being held on a $500,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Norwalk Superior Court on Dec. 16.

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