A man accused of being a serial rapist in suburban St. Louis may have attacked many more victims in other parts of the country, including Chicago, where he spent a month in 2022, officials announced.
Yahya Maly, 28, is charged with raping five women he met by using the name “John” on dating apps. The first known attack in St. Louis occurred in March 2023, the most recent on February 2. Prosecutors said a sixth victim stepped forward last week.
But St. Louis County police investigators suspect Maly may have left a trail of victims in other cities before he arrived in St. Louis. The agency said Maly lived in Chicago from January 12 to February 12, 2022.
“We are fearful and somewhat certain that there could be other potential victims,” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price said. “If you are a victim of this man, we want you to know your voice matters. You are not alone. We are here for you, and it is safe to come forward.”
After meeting a woman on an app, Maly typically brought them to his home and made sexual advances before sexually assaulting them, officials said. None of the victims consented to having sex with Maly, according to the allegations.
Police said Maly kept his last victim in his apartment for more than seven hours earlier this month.
He lived in Henrico County, Virginia, from 2013 to 2021; Tucson, Arizona, from December 3, 2022, to January 17, 2023; and Minneapolis-St. Paul from January 27, 2023, to February 25, 2023.
Fellow students at a chiropractic college in the St. Louis area filed multiple complaints about Maly over the past two years, accusing him of unwanted touching, stalking, and harassment, reported KSDK, the NBC affiliate in St. Louis.
“I truly feel like the only reason why he came here to become a doctor of chiropractic is that way he could get a bigger victim pool,” one of Maly’s former classmates told the outlet.
St. Louis County investigators can be reached at 314-615-5400.
You can contact CWBChicago and provide anonymous tips by email: [email protected]
