Montgomery County (web|news) Police have revealed key pieces of evidence that could solve a string of home invasions targeting senior citizens.

A backpack and a baseball cap are two of the items recovered from one of the six crime scenes that could be connected. Officially, only the homicide and two of the home invasion robberies have been officially linked. However, detective are investigating with the belief that the same person has committed all six crimes.

Detectives used DNA evidence to link the homicide to two of the home invasions in Montgomery County. Police note a number of similarities between the incidents.

• Victims are older people between 63- and 92-years-old
• All the victims were tied
• All of the homes had private back yards
• None of the homes had an alarm system
• Suspect described as a white or Latino male who spoke with a slight Hispanic accent, but spoke English very well, in his 20's, 5'5" to 5'8" tall, with a medium build. He wore a mask in all but one incident. A wide variety of clothing was worn to include camouflage and once described as "dressed to fit in with the community"

Police note a number of dissimilarities including some victims living alone, others were not; suspect entered the homes in different ways; and different items were taken from the homes.

The evidence police released were left at the Picasso Lane incident. It included a purple backpack containing: two baseball hats, one with a Nike logo, and one with a Lowe's logo; marbles; a Smoot Lumber strap; and a slingshot made out of a bundle of large rubber bands held together by a piece of denim cloth. The backback had been stolen five years ago from the 3700 block of Harrison Street in D.C., according to police.

Home Invasion Robberies:

September 17, 2007, 11:40 p.m. 7600 block of Maryknoll Avenue, Bethesda, MD. 92-year-old female victim

November 27, 2007, 1:03 a.m.  5500 block of Montgomery Street, Chevy Chase, MD. 77-year-old female victim

January 9, 2008, 12:01 a.m. 2300 block of 49th Street. N.W., Washington, D.C. 84-year-old male and 85-year-old female victims

February 27, 2008, 8:15 a.m.  11000 block of Picasso Lane, Potomac, MD. 78-year-old female victim Vehicle taken

May 7, 2008, 2:30 a.m. (Reported at this time, occurred earlier) 5800 block of Brookside Drive, Bethesda, MD 75-year-old male and 70-year-old female victims

Homicide:

Found September 4, 8:43 a.m. (Likely occurred overnight from 9/2 into 9/3 ) 8900 block of Seven Locks Road, Potomac, MD 63-year-old victim Vehicle taken

Police say on September 24, there was an attemped burglary in the 4900 block of Asbury Lane in Bethesda. The 70-year-old victim, who lives alone, had an alarm system that went off in the evening. She didn't know until the next day that her basement door locks were damaged. She then called police. Police aren't sure if the incident is related to the other crimes.

Montgomery County Police are reminding everyone to help prevent crime in their neighborhoods.

• Ensure that there are functioning locks for all doors and windows and use them consistently. Garage doors should also be kept secured when not in use
• Security systems that include alarms, exterior lighting with motion detectors, and timers for interior lighting are all measures that may prevent residential crime
• Shrubbery close to the home that might provide concealment should be trimmed
• Newspapers and mail should be taken in the day it is delivered. If residents are unable to pick it up, they should have a neighbor or family member collect it for them.
• If residents believe they are being followed they should not go home but drive to a public place. If they can safely obtain information that would be helpful to the police such as a description or tag number; they should do so as long as they don't endanger themselves.
• If you suspect an intruder, don't confront the person. If you can't leave the house safely, lock yourself in a room with a phone or cell phone.
• Don't enter your home if you see signs of forced entry. Go to a safe place to call police.
• Know your neighbors and your community - senior men or women living alone should develop regular daily contact with a friend, family member, or neighbor who will alert police if that regular contact is not made.
• Residents should call the police if they believe something doesn't fit, occurs at an unusual time of day, or seems uncharacteristic to the area.

The Victims' Rights Foundation has set up a fund for donations to increase the reward for information that leads to an arrest and/or indictment of the person responsible for the six home invasion robberies and homicide. Anyone wanting to donate to the fund should send a check with "Home Invasion Homicide Fund" in the memo to:

The Victims' Rights Foundation
814 West Diamond Avenue, Suite 200
Gaithersburg, MD 20878