Austin police searching for person of interest in 2017 sexual assault of a child

Austin Police get closer to solving two-year-old sexual assault of a child case

A local man has been linked to a case of sexual assault of a child. Now APD needs help tracking down Terry Mcvade who's DNA has made him a person of interest in the case.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department Child Abuse Unit is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a person of interest in a 2017 sexual assault of a child case. New physical evidence has recently become available that links 39-year-old Terry McVade to the crime.

According to police, a teenage girl was sexually assaulted around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 27, 2017, in the 6600 block of Ed Bluestein Boulevard. The incident began when a man, believed to be Terry McVade, forced his way into a residence and sexually assaulted a teenage occupant.

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This investigation has been ongoing since the assault occurred. However new physical evidence has recently become available that links McVade to the crime.

McVade’s DNA was linked in October 2019 after the CODIS system detected the match.

“CODIS is a system run by the FBI and it maintains samples of known persons. When you have a case like this where an unknown person's DNA is put into the system, periodically it results to hits or matches,” said Det. Darrel Lambert with the Austin Police Department’s Child Abuse Unit.

Police believe McVade is still in the Austin area. He has not been charged with the crime at this time.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Terry McVade is asked to call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 512-472-TIPS (8477), the APD Child Abuse Unit at 512-974-6880 or 9-1-1 if you see this suspect. You can also submit tips by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.

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