Houston Police Arrest Man Linked by DNA to Four Sexual Assault Cases Spanning Nearly Two Decades

HOUSTON, Texas – Houston police have arrested a 62-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting multiple women over nearly two decades after investigators used DNA evidence and investigative genetic genealogy to identify him.

The announcement was made Friday by Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz and FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson.

Phillip Cerf, 62, has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault in the 496th Criminal District Court. He was arrested on July 21 and remains in the Harris County Jail.

According to the Houston Police Department, Cerf was identified after investigators linked DNA evidence from four separate sexual assault cases that occurred on June 29, 1997; April 9, 2009; June 22, 2013; and July 3, 2016.

Investigators said Cerf’s DNA profile matched evidence collected in each case through forensic sexual assault examinations performed after the attacks.

Police said the victims were approached after Cerf allegedly offered them rides before driving them to another location, where they were sexually and physically assaulted.

The breakthrough came after the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Texas Rangers conducted a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative that generated multiple CODIS DNA matches, linking the four unsolved cases.

Investigators then compared police reports, forensic evidence and other investigative findings across the cases to identify Cerf as the suspect.

The FBI Houston Field Office also assisted through its Investigative Genetic Genealogy program.

According to FBI Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson, investigators used publicly accessible genealogy databases to identify potential relatives of the unknown DNA profile before constructing family trees that ultimately led to Cerf’s identification.

Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz praised the victims for continuing to cooperate with investigators throughout the years.

“These investigations remained active because the victims had the courage to report these crimes and participate in the investigative process,” Diaz said. “We believe there are potentially other victims who were assaulted by Cerf.”

Mayor John Whitmire credited the collaboration between the Houston Police Department, Texas Rangers and the FBI for solving the cold cases.

“This arrest is a perfect example of effective collaboration by multiple law enforcement agencies,” Whitmire said. “Thanks to their work, the suspect will be made accountable if he is found guilty.”

Angela Weltin, chief of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Bureau, said the case demonstrates law enforcement’s commitment to pursuing justice regardless of how much time has passed.

“We want sexual assault survivors to know that our commitment to seeking justice does not fade with time. We follow evidence wherever it leads,” Weltin said.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.

Anyone with information about Cerf or who believes they may have been victimized by him is urged to contact the Houston Police Department’s Special Victims Division at 713-308-1180.

The investigation remains ongoing.