Suspected Serial Rapist Had 17 Pairs Of Women’s Panties As Trophies

LAS VEGAS – Police discovered an accused serial rapist with 17 different pairs of women’s underwear, which he may have saved as trophies.

Carlos Nava, 46, is accused of five sexual assaults, one of which occurred in 2003 and was considered a cold case. The accused victim in one case was under the age of 16.

Nava is accused of committing the crimes while unlawfully present in the United States. Police said DNA evidence linked him to the rapes.

Carlos Nava faces sexual assault with a dangerous weapon, robbery with a deadly weapon, and kidnapping with a deadly weapon accusations. (LVMPD)
The claims are detailed in the arrest report.

A sex worker told police on July 10 that she agreed to have sex for $100 with a man who picked her up in a white truck in front of the Orleans casino. According to the records, the woman informed police that the man refused to stop performing a sex act, held a knife to her throat, removed a condom and sexually attacked her, stole her money and phone, cracked a glass bottle on her head, and followed her as she tried to flee. The woman managed to flee and fled naked to a neighboring Walgreens for assistance. Detectives examined CCTV footage from surrounding businesses.

Eleven days later, Nava was stopped and arrested. According to authorities, a search warrant was issued for his DNA and to process his white pickup for evidence. According to detectives, they discovered a backpack containing latex gloves and 17 different pairs of women’s panties folded and stacked with a rubber band around them.

“Though uncommon, those who conduct sexual assault-related offenses have been known to keep victim items as a trophy of the act,” according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrest report. Nava’s DNA was linked to four other sex offenses in October.

On February 4, 2010, a woman stated that she got into a car in Henderson that she mistook for her friend’s. According to her, while inside the car, the driver pulled out a knife, closed the doors, and shouted, “I want sex.” She also informed police that the man demanded she strip naked and sexually attacked her. A nurse who did a sexual assault nursing examination told police that she thought the accused victim was intellectually retarded.

On March 16, 2013, a sex worker told police that she got into a vehicle while soliciting on Boulder Highway. She claimed that the driver did not like the price she was providing and sexually assaulted her with a knife. She told cops she was afraid because she didn’t want to go to jail for being a runaway.

On July 17, 2015, a woman told police that she got into a car while hunting for marijuana on Desert Inn Road. She claimed that the driver pulled out a knife, ordered her to strip naked, and sexually abused her. On November 2, 2022, detectives spoke with the suspected victim once more. She claimed to be a sex worker soliciting on Boulder Highway. She claimed she escaped the suspect’s car by jumping through the driver’s side window and running naked from the vehicle. When authorities showed her the panties found in Nava’s possession, she recognized a pair as the same style she would have worn.

On August 12, 2003, a minor stated that a male picked her up and they agreed to have sex. She claimed the male drove her to an abandoned house and they had consensual intercourse. Police were phoned by a friend of the accused victim. According to the arrest record, she opted not to press charges.

According to police, the run of occurrences all share commonalities in that the victims were all prostitutes picked up on the street by the perpetrator.

According to court documents, after Nava’s arrest in July, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Daniel Westmeyer issued $5,000 bond. Nava posted bond and was placed under electronic surveillance. Officers in plain clothes arrested Nava for the string of sexual assaults at a subsequent court appearance.

Nava refused to answer a reporter’s question about whether he committed the sexual assaults.

According to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson, Nava has re-entered the United States unlawfully at least eight times since 2002. While he was granted voluntary removal to Mexico numerous times, he was also removed at least twice after immigration detainers were placed on him. He has been apprehended by authorities in California, Arizona, and Las Vegas.

Arrests for battery and domestic abuse are among his criminal background. He was last deported to Mexico following an arrest in 2020.

Credits: 8 News Now

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