Windermere investigators search for more victims, witnesses in serial rape case

In the case of accused serial rapist Darryl Patterson, officials believe there are victims out there who have not come forward.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Investigators are asking men who might have witnessed the incidents to come forward.

“If you were a friend of Mr. Patterson’s and he described to you some activities that seemed inappropriate, perhaps you didn't want to get involved, but come forward now,” State Attorney Jeff Ashton said.

Patterson was denied bail Thursday when he faced a judge.

The state argued that Patterson should stay in jail without bail, and offered to show the judge videos of the three sexual batteries police said Patterson recorded and kept.

Windermere police have been working the case for more than a year, after video evidence that had been left in a storage shed for years by former detectives, who had abandoned the case, resurfaced.

Twenty-seven videos confiscated from Patterson's home last year show unconscious women being raped, prosecutors said.

Some of the women still have not been identified and police said they’re worried they could be dead.

“Some of these videos depicted women who were unconscious through the entire video, and you’ve got this guy flopping their limp bodies from one position to the other," Windermere Police Department Detective John Allen said. "There was some concern that some of them might be dead.”

READ: Timeline of Darryl Patterson alleged rapes investigation

One victim is prepared to face Patterson and tell a jury the grim details of her nightmarish experience, Allen said.

“This is nothing for anyone to be embarrassed about. It is nothing that indicates any sort of weakness," Assistant State Attorney Deborah Barra said. "In fact, it's the exact opposite. Victims of sexual abuse, when they come forward, they show incredible strength and courage."

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Earlier in the news conference, Windermere Police Chief David Ogden said much the same thing.

“We’re concerned that some of them may not be alive,” he said.

State attorney: Past mistakes shouldn’t color current investigation

Ogden and Allen were joined by Florida State Attorney Jeff Ashton during the news conference.

Ashton applauded the Windermere Police Department for its recent handling of the case, while acknowledging serious mistakes had been made in the past.

“I’m sure it’s an embarrassment to the department, the negligence with which this matter was addressed prior to Chief Ogden’s involvement,” Ashton said. “But (the department) went forward on this aggressively, with all of their resources, to investigate this crime as it should have been done when it first occurred.”

Ashton was referring to 2012, when sexual assault allegations were first reported to the Windermere Police Department.

At that time, detectives no longer with the department tabled the case, because they were unable to identify possible victims, officials said.

Evidence from that case including photos, video cassettes and DVDs, was put in a storage shed at the department, where it stayed until the case was reopened in 2014.

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The investigation restarted when Patterson went to the department to report a fraud case and a longtime officer recognized him as a suspect in a rape, the department said.

Since then, thousands of hours have been put into investigating Patterson, Ogden said.

The current case against Patterson involves three recordings of a single victim and resulted in six charges of sexual battery against the man, Allen said.

The victim was identified and contacted at the beginning of the year, he said.

She told investigators she had no recollection of the events portrayed in the recordings and didn’t know they’d taken place until she met with police.

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Patterson was initially charged with a single county of sexual battery and was being held at the Orange County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bail.

He had a hearing in Orange County Circuit Court Thursday, where prosecutors filed five more charges and the judge ordered him held without bail.

Plea for victims to come forward

Ogden hoped that knowing Patterson would not get out of jail for the duration of his case would encourage potential victims to come forward.

He worried the handling of the case in 2012 would dissuade possible victims from coming forward and was adamant that things were different with the current investigation.

“Your case will be fully investigated,” he said to potential victims. “Every lead will be followed. Every source that we have will be used to help you in your case, and we’ll treat you with dignity and respect.”

Ashton also appealed to potential victims and asked them to contact police.

“Please come forward and give us the chance to show you that we can protect you and take care of you,” he said.

Cox Media Group