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Prince William County Police have linked a Halloween attack on three teenage girls in Woodbridge to a serial rapist whose past victims may also have included three Fairfax women.

Thirteen sexual assaults over a period of 12 years were tied to the same man by DNA evidence found on the victims, said Fairfax County police officials.

"Someone knows this offender. Someone recognizes this pattern of behavior," said David Rohrer, police chief in Fairfax County, where authorities believe the attacker committed three rapes between 1999 and 2001. "No one deserves to be a victim of a violent crime. We are asking the public to think and to look at people they know, whether it is a loved one, a friend, a family member, an acquaintance. The interesting points to us is not just the physical description ... it's the timeline of these cases."

The suspect has attacked female victims ranging in age from 14 to 41, police said, and the victims have been white, black and Latino females. The serial rapist usually has a weapon: a gun, a knife or even a screwdriver.

"In most cases, he's used either a knife or a handgun," Rohrer said.

The first three attacks under investigation occurred in 1997 and 1998 in Prince George's County, Md. In each instance, the victims were walking outdoors between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. when they were threatened with a weapon and attacked.

Three more attacks took place in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County between 1999 and 2001. The first of those assaults occurred June 19, 1999, along Richmond Highway and the second on Nov. 20, 2000, near the intersection of Timber Forest Drive and Edsall Road.

After three 2001 attacks in Alexandria, Leesburg and Temple Hills, Md., there was no recorded activity between 2002 and 2005, according to police. The next attack was a peeping Tom and attempted breaking and entering incident in Rhode Island in 2006. Police say DNA linked the would-be intruder to the serial rapes.

Police believe the timeline of the attacks may help pinpoint potential suspects who have lived or spent a significant amount of time in the areas where the crimes occurred.

The suspect is still at large and potentially poses a continued risk to the community, police said.

Law enforcement officers from Fairfax County, Maryland, Connecticut and Rhode Island and the FBI are investigating the case.

Fairfax County police said anyone with information about the attacks or the identity of the suspect should call the Crime Solvers hotline at 866-411-8477.

Police believe the serial rapist is linked to attacks at the following locations:

-Feb. 19, 1997, in the 6800 block of Marlboro Pike in Forestville, Md.

-Aug. 20, 1997, in the 4600 block of Silver Hill Road in Suitland, Md.

-July 3, 1998, in the 2900 block of 31st Avenue in Temple Hills, Md.

-June 19, 1999, on Richmond Highway in Alexandria

-Jan. 13, 2000, in the 7300 block of Fordson Road in Alexandria

-July 8, 2000, in the 1900 block of Beechwood Road in Hyattsville, Md.

-Nov. 20, 2000, at Timber Forest Drive and Edsall Road in Alexandria

-May 24, 2001, on Plaza Street in Leesburg

-Aug. 16, 2001, in the 4500 block of 23rd Parkway in Temple Hills, Md.

-Dec. 28, 2001, in the 3700 block of Rolling Hills in Alexandria

-Nov. 28, 2006, on Valley View Drive in Cranston, R.I.

-Jan. 10, 2007, on Smith Avenue in New Haven, Conn.

-Oct. 31, 2009 in the 4300 block of Dale Boulevard in Woodbridge

Staff Writer Andrea Noble contributed to this report.