Baltimore police have cracked a harrowing case of kidnapping, assault, and sex abuse, all thanks to an unlikely clue: a box of dental rubber bands. The suspect, 46-year-old Charles Avon Taylor, was apprehended after detectives followed a trail that led them straight to his dentist’s chair.
The ordeal began in Leakin Park earlier this month when Taylor reportedly approached a 71-year-old woman. According to WMAR 2 News, what started as a casual conversation quickly turned sinister. Taylor, seemingly irritable, pulled a gun on the woman and threatened her life. As she attempted to escape, he violently assaulted her. In a terrifying sequence of events, arrest documents reveal that Taylor kidnapped the woman, took her to an encampment area, tied her to a chair, and then subjected her to a brutal sexual assault and choking until she lost consciousness.
Miraculously, the victim regained consciousness, managed to flee, and found a good Samaritan who called the police. She was subsequently hospitalized for severe facial injuries. The police, determined to catch her assailant, embarked on a three-day manhunt that led them to an unexpected piece of evidence: packets of elastics used for braces.
In a stroke of investigative genius, detectives contacted the manufacturer of the dental bands and discovered that they were supplied to just one dental office in Maryland, located in Ellicott City. A visit to the dental office with an artist’s rendering of the suspect proved fruitful. Staff members recognized the photo as possibly being that of Taylor, and the victim later confirmed his identity.
Taylor, whose criminal history includes a conviction for first-degree rape in 2000, now faces charges of kidnapping, assault, and sex abuse. In a bizarre twist, police revealed that he had checked himself into a psychiatric ward the day after the incident. However, his stint in the psych ward was short-lived, as he is now detained in the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center.
This case, with its unusual dental clue leading to the capture of a dangerous criminal, has gripped Baltimore and beyond. It serves as a chilling reminder of the unforeseen dangers lurking in everyday encounters and the astute detective work that goes into solving such heinous crimes.
