AUSTIN, Texas — After nearly 30 years of investigation, law enforcement officials have identified a deceased suspect believed to have raped several elderly women in Bastrop County between 1997 and 2005. The suspect, Emory Earl McVay, of Smithville, died in 2010 at 48 years old.
On March 27, 2004, an elderly woman was asleep in her bed when an unknown man broke into her Bastrop County home and sexually assaulted her. Investigators collected DNA and submitted it to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) through the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Crime Laboratory Division. In October 2004, the DPS Crime Laboratory in Austin notified the Texas Rangers of a possible DNA match between the 2004 case and another sexual assault from July 1997 in Smithville.
The following year, DPS’ Crime Laboratory identified a possible DNA match with a third sexual assault cold case from July 2005. Despite collecting several DNA samples from potential suspects, none yielded a positive match until 2021, when the Texas Rangers identified the case as eligible for testing through DPS’ Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program. The program, funded by the Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance, aims to bring justice to victims and their families.
On August 11, 2021, Bode Technologies began conducting additional advanced DNA testing and genealogy research on the samples from the 1997, 2004, and 2005 assaults. In August 2025, investigators received a positive match with Emory Earl McVay. It was later discovered that McVay had been deceased for over a decade, and no arrests were made. McVay had a lengthy criminal history in Central Texas, including multiple burglary convictions.
The Texas Rangers expressed gratitude to the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office, Bastrop County District Attorney’s Office, Smithville Police Department, Bode Technologies, and members of DPS’ Austin and CODIS Crime Laboratories for their dedication, which ultimately led to McVay’s identification. “Cases like this highlight the importance of collaborative investigative work between the Texas Rangers and our partner law enforcement agencies to keep unsolved cases alive, ultimately bringing closure to victims’ families and the community,” stated the source.