A Los Angeles man with a “distinctive body odor” has been linked to a string of sexual assaults, according to police, who have urged further victims to come forward.
Benjamin Parke Belser, 36, was detained on February 4 at his residence in Village Green in connection with a string of sexual assaults dating back to 2017, the Los Angeles Police Department reported earlier this month.
Authorities claim that Belser met his victims online using “complicated ruses” to conceal his identity. Nonetheless, witnesses noted the native North Carolinian’s “distinctive bodily odor.”
Investigators have identified five of Belser’s suspected victims, but there are possibly others who have not yet come forward, according to the police.
In a statement, Detective Asia Hodge of the Special Assault Unit said, “Cases such as these are particularly upsetting because people are sometimes unwilling to disclose sex crimes due to embarrassment.”
“But, if this many survivors are already speaking out, we believe there may be more individuals waiting to do so. We require their assistance to hold him accountable”
The West Los Angeles, Koreatown, and Downtown Los Angeles neighborhood attacks are believed to have occurred between 2017 and at least 2022, when the inquiry into Belser began.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Belser, who is 6’5″ and 170 pounds, remained in detention on $6.2 million bond, according to court documents.
According to FOX, he is charged with 12 felonies, including rape, forced sodomy, forced oral copulation, and sexual penetration with a foreign object.
Hodge stated of Belser’s arrest, “We are pleased that the District Attorney’s office has brought charges, but the process has just begun.”
We believe there are more people in need out there, and we will continue to search for them.
»A Los Angeles guy with “distinctive body odor” was arrested for a string of sexual assaults.«
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