Sketch artist helps local law enforcement

Wilmington police are using a few leads and a composite sketch to find the man responsible for a brutal downtown assault. The likeness may be the strongest clue detectives have to find the man who raped and stabbed a woman.

The forensic sketch artist, along with detectives worked with the victim to create the drawing.

Forensic artist, Gary Longordo says the victim was very clear about what her attacker looked like.

He worked with an FBI catalog that features different eyes, noses and mouths, and the victim pointed to features that resembled her attacker.

Longordo said the process of sketching is very much a work in progress, and the victim’s response lets him know when he has got the suspect pegged.

“Her reaction when she sees the drawing, if there are any tears or she’s emotionally charged and she was all of those things,” said Longordo.

Longordo has worked with local law enforcement, drawing suspects for more than 20 years.

Wilmington police detectives say sketches are another tool to help them solve crimes, and even though sometimes the picture isn’t exact, a slight resemblance can be enough to jog someone’s memory.