SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Law enforcement is seeking information related to a Cincinnati rape that happened in 1989 after questioning a man who allegedly made false statements to investigators.
According to a criminal complaint, Frederick Tanzer was recently identified as a prime suspect in the rape. Investigators said they were able to get his DNA from a coffee cup that Tanzer had thrown away and match it to DNA from the crime scene.
Authorities got a warrant to search Tanzer's home and vehicles on Kenwood Road in Sycamore Township on Wednesday.
When Tanzer was brought in for questioning, FBI agents say he knowingly made false statements, including denying having seen or interacted with the victim on the date she was raped. According to court documents, Tanzer was married to the victim's best friend at the time of the rape.
Tanzer is a medical doctor who has lived and practiced medicine in Ohio, Kansas and Colorado, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
On Aug. 1, 1989, a woman was violently raped in her condominium on Creighton Place in Cincinnati. When the woman arrived home, she noticed an odor that smelled like brewed tea or burnt marijuana. While walking into her dining room and kitchen, the woman was attacked by the rapist with a knife, police said.
Investigators said the rapist was dressed from head to toe in black Lycra, including black gloves and a face mask and had a black gym bag with him. He used white surgical tape from the gym bag to wrap around the woman’s eyes and head, investigators said. He also used stockings and pantyhose from her dresser to bind the woman's hands and feet during the rape, police said.
The victim described the rapist as white, with dark brown hair, approximately six feet tall with a thin or athletic build.
Federal law enforcement is asking for any information regarding the rape to help agents close the case.
