HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A 62-year-old man is now in custody after being linked to multiple rape cases since 1997, according to the Houston Police Department.
The suspect was identified as Phillip Cerf. Houston Mayor John Whitmire, HPD Chief J. Noe Diaz, and FBI officials are set to announce his official arrest after Cerf was charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault last week.
Cerf’s alleged crimes include being accused of luring a woman into his car and raping her at gunpoint in 1997. Investigators are also accusing Cerf of sexual crimes in 2009, 2013, and a 2016 rape case where a woman was raped at gunpoint in the north Houston area.
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Officials said that it was possible Cerf drove trucks for nearly 16 years, with six years driving in Houston singularly.
According to court documents, investigators linked all four rapes together in July 2025 and identified Cerf as a suspect in 2026. Officials said the victims were all of different ages and races, and each woman was allegedly approached late at night.
According to documents, undercover officers began surveilling him at his Atascocita apartment in April and were able to obtain his DNA for testing.
An officer reportedly saw him spit on the ground and gathered the evidence, and it matched DNA collected from all four victims, according to charging documents.
Officials said detectives were able to connect the case through public genealogy information and building a family tree after identifying Cerf’s family member through the DNA collected.
Investigators said Cerf may have committed additional assaults and are looking for any potential victims to come forward.
Cerf is currently being held on no bond, officials said.
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