(CNN) — Six years ago, a driver passing through Austin, Texas, found the body of a 28-year-old woman in a silver sedan. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
In June, a 911 caller reported finding a woman’s body in an abandoned house. The 34-year-old woman had also been sexually assaulted and strangled.
Now, according to police, investigators believe that the same person killed both women.
Authorities are looking for a suspect in connection with a “series of homicides” after DNA evidence linked the two killings to the same person.
Alyssa Ann Rivera was found dead on June 21 in an abandoned house, according to a press release from the Austin Police Department.
Surveillance video released by police shows a person of interest walking with Rivera shortly before she was killed.
Police said it was not known how or when Rivera met the man. The incident was initially believed to be an isolated incident.
But on Aug. 7, investigators found a DNA link between Rivera’s case and the unsolved homicide from six years ago, police said during a press conference on Thursday.
On April 14, 2018, the body of Alba Jenisse Avilés was found after leaving a nightclub, about 5 kilometers from where Rivera was killed, according to the press release.
“No suspect has been identified in either case,” he said. “However, DNA testing reveals that the suspect is the same in both cases.”
The DNA did not match any records in the national database, police said.
Austin Police Sgt. Nathan Sexton said it’s “relatively rare” for someone who commits “really violent homicides” to not have been detained or arrested for a prior crime.
Police said there is no known link between the victims.
The investigation continues as homicide detectives continue to search for leads.
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