WARNING: This story may have disturbing details. Discretion is advised.
A man matching the description of a sexual assault suspect who entered a Linda Vista home last week and assaulted a 5-year-old girl returned to the same home on Sunday morning, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Police launched an investigation after a man was reported sexually assaulting a sleeping girl in her Linda Vista home in the 2800 block of Welling St. around 1:45 a.m. on April 18.
Around 3:25 a.m. on Sunday, a man matching that previous suspect’s description was seen on video surveillance footage returning to that same home and attempting to enter the property again, San Diego police said.
The man failed to enter the home and residents remained safe, police added.
Police are asking for further help identifying the suspect, who appears to be a man in his early 20s with dark hair. He was seen wearing a dark hoodie sweatshirt with light printing down the left sleeve and an unknown image on the front of the hoodie. The suspect was seen wearing light colored sweatpants, dark shoes, a backpack and a bicycle.
Anyone with information regarding this incident or video surveillance from the area is encouraged to call the Child Abuse Unit at 619-531-2210 or SDPD non-emergency line at 619-531-2000.
Police are still looking for the suspect but only have a vague description. NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes has more on how neighbors are reacting to news of the crime.
The original incident
During the original encounter, police said the man entered the home through an unlocked door and “fondled” the 5-year-old girl, according to officials with the San Diego Police Department and a spokesperson for the city of San Diego.
The girl screamed when she woke up, alerting her parents, SDPD Lt. Michael Swanson said.
A neighbor told NBC 7 the community was military housing. Authorities urged the community to be vigilant and keep doors and windows locked.
Adriana Geiwitz has been staying next door to help watch her grandchildren. She says there are a lot of children in the community and that when they all get home from school, they flood the streets, riding their bikes at the park. Her 10-year-old granddaughter is one of them.
“She used to go and then come back when it gets dark. That’s how safe it is here. It was,” Geiwitz said.
The other next-door neighbor, Lacy Chavez, has a 10-year-old of her own. Chavez said her family did not hear anything happening during the night.
“We do the best that we can for our kids,” Chavez said. “There’s no one to blame for this except for the person who did it.”
Both neighbors told NBC 7 that they were in the process of getting security cameras after the incident. Chavez said they “never needed them” before.
“We ordered them this morning. A little too late, but we got them,” Geiwitz said.
No other information was immediately provided.
This is a developing story. Details may change as information is released.
NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes contributed to this report.
This article was originally published by a www.nbcsandiego.com . Read the Original article here. .