Investigators are beginning to piece together a portrait of the man who’s responsible for as many as a dozen rapes, attempted rapes or burglaries from January to November that targeted elderly women in Bell, Falls and Leon Counties in Central Texas and DeWitt, Lavaca and Caldwell Counties in South Texas

“Investigators believe the offender has a sexual preference for elderly females, and therefore may not be in a romantic relationship with a woman his own age,” Texas Rangers said in a press release Monday.

“The suspect has demonstrated his familiarity with each of these communities and apparently has the freedom, either in personal life or at work, to move about during the late evening and pre-dawn early morning hours,” the Rangers said.

“Many of these cases have been linked by physical evidence, including DNA,” said Texas Ranger Chief Tony Leal.

“All of the victims have been elderly women ranging in age from 65 to 91 who live alone.

“The rapist has been described as a thin, young, dark-skinned man between 5 feet 6 inches and 6 feet tall,” Leal said.

In some of the cases, the victims’ residences were broken into before the sexual assault.

“It is believed the rapist prowls the victims’ neighborhoods before striking in the early morning hours. In many cases, he has disabled the victim’s telephone,” the Rangers said.

“Each of these victims is someone’s mother, grandmother or neighbor, and we need the public’s help in identifying the suspect responsible for these crimes,” Leal said.

The latest incident happened involved a break-in and attempted sexual assault on Nov. 24 in Luling.

The victim was a 79-year-old woman.

The first attack was on Jan. 23 in Yoakum where a 66-year-old woman was raped and robbed of $12,000.

In Central Texas, a woman was raped in July in Leon County.

In August, a woman in her early 90s was attacked and robbed in rural Bell County.

Another attack was reported on Sept. 5 in Leon County.

On Sept. 11, a 90-year-old woman was raped in Bell County.

The next day, a woman in Leon County reported that burglar bars had been removed from her home.

On Oct. 10, an elderly woman was attacked in her home just outside of Marlin in Falls County.

Two weeks later, an elderly woman in Leon County heard an intruder in her home, grabbed a gun and scared off the would-be attacker.

Another attack was reported on Nov. 9 in Yoakum.

Authorities are asking anyone who may know someone who fits the description of the rapist to call local law enforcement agencies of the Texas Department of Public Safety Fusion Center at (866) 786-5972.

Local Crime Stoppers programs are offering rewards for information that leads to an arrest and indictment.