A coffee cup, a DNA match and an arrest of 'avid golfer' in decades-old rape cases

Saleen Martin, USA TODAY
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A Michigan man was arrested after police said DNA from a coffee cup linked him to two sexual assaults dating back to over 20 years ago.

Kurt Alan Rillema, 51, of West Bloomfield, was arrested in Oakland County, Michigan and is facing multiple criminal sexual conduct charges after investigators tested DNA from a coffee cup he threw away.

The first attack was in 1999 at the Twin Lakes Golf Club in Oakland Township, Michigan, said Sheriff Michael Bouchard from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office at a press conference.

A young woman was working at the golf club when someone asked her for directions to the clubhouse, then came up behind her when she was alone and sexually assaulted her, StateCollege.com reported.

Investigators initially had one person of interest who was cleared by DNA. For quite some time, they had no other suspects.

The second crime took place in 2000 at the Penn State Blue Golf Course, StateCollege.com reported.

At around 8:15 p.m. on July 27, 2000, a 19-year-old was jogging near the golf course when a man approached her. He asked her for a Band-Aid and directions to the clubhouse. She told him she couldn't help him and tried to leave but he walked up behind her and held a knife to her throat, the outlet reported.

He said if she wasn't quiet, he'd hurt her. He then dragged her to a wooded area, punched her and sexually assaulted her.

How did investigators find him?

According to StateCollege.com, a DNA sample from the 2000 Pennsylvania rape kit was sent to a state police crime lab. A DNA profile was developed and in 2001, the profile was uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System, a national DNA database known as CODIS.

In 2004, a CODIS search linked the perpetrator in the 1999 Michigan case and the 2000 Pennsylvania case, StateCollege.com reported.

In 2021, Penn State police detective Nick Sproveri reopened the investigation and decided to use genealogical DNA to solve the case. He worked with Oakland County Sheriff’s Office detective sergeant Eric Tremonti, who submitted DNA from the 1999 Michigan case to a genetic genealogy lab, StateCollege.com reported.

In January 2023, investigators learned the suspect was likely Rillema or one of his brothers. Each brother was investigated and detectives concluded that Rillema was most likely the attacker based on his age and physical features reported by the victim in the 2000 Pennsylvania case.

Rillema also lived near the Twin Lakes Golf Course in 1999 when the Michigan sexual assault occurred, StateCollege.com reported. As for the 2000 Penn State sexual assault, investigators said Rillema was likely visiting one of his brothers, who went to Penn State at the time.

On Jan. 31, 2023, investigators trailed Rillema and got a styrofoam coffee cup he had thrown away. The cup was sent to the Michigan State Police crime lab for testing and the DNA matched the perpetrator in the 1999 Michigan rape and 2000 Penn State case, StateCollege.com reported.

Rillema was eventually taken into custody.

When asked at a press conference what Rillema's reaction was, the Oakland County sheriff declined to comment and said such details are "probably best for the courtroom."

Sheriff: DNA has allowed authorities to give victims closure

Bouchard said there may be other victims and reminded the public that often times, sexual assault victims don't report the crimes committed against them due to fear or other factors.

He encouraged those who have been assaulted under similar circumstances or on golf courses to come forward.

He said Rillema is an "avid golfer" and plays all over the country.

"If you are a victim of a similar circumstance, of rape on a golf course or some kind of rape that matches what we've just talked about ... please let us know or your local police agency," Bouchard said.

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Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coffee cup DNA leads police to rape suspect in 20 year old cases