After nearly three decades of investigation, law enforcement officials have identified the now-deceased suspect who they believe raped several elderly women in Bastrop Co. between 1997 and 2005. The suspect, Emory Earl McVay, of Smithville, died in 2010 at 48 years old.

Back on March 27, 2004, an elderly woman was asleep in her bed when an unknown man broke into her Bastrop Co. home and sexually assaulted her. After reporting the assault to local authorities, investigators collected DNA and submitted it to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) — a national database used to check for possible DNA matches between arrestees and unsolved cases nationwide — through the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Crime Laboratory Division. Later that year, 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 involving a male suspect breaking into an elderly woman’s residence in Smithville. 

The following year, DPS’ Crime Laboratory notified the Texas Rangers of a possible DNA match with a third sexual assault cold case with a similar narrative from July 2005. It was clear there was a serial rapist in Bastrop Co. Investigators continued to collect several DNA samples from potential suspects, but none yielded a positive match. 

Then, in 2021, the Texas Rangers identified the case as eligible for testing and comparison through DPS’ Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program. The program is funded by the Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance (DOJ/BJA), which provides investigative funding for agencies across the United States to further unsolved sexual assaults and sexually related homicides, aiming to bring justice to the victims and their families. On Aug. 11, 2021, Bode Technologies began conducting additional Advanced DNA testing and genealogy research on the samples obtained from the 1997, 2004 and 2005 sexual assaults. 

Finally, in August 2025, after several years of advanced testing and research, investigators received a positive match with a male suspect from Bastrop Co.: Emory Earl McVay. It was later learned that McVay had been deceased for more than a decade, and no arrests were made. Of note, McVay had a lengthy criminal history in Central Texas, which included multiple convictions for burglary.  

The Texas Rangers would like to thank the Bastrop Co. Sheriff’s Office, Bastrop Co. 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.