2 men charged in separate 'cold' rape cases

Police have charged two men in separate rape cases from more than 10 years ago - the third and fourth arrests police have made in "cold" rape cases since last month.

Dwayne Atkins, 34, of the 5900 block of North Franklin Street, surrendered to police Thursday and was charged with rape and other offenses.

Police said Atkins approached a 16-year-old girl in November 1998 after she left a friend's house and was walking home about 2 a.m. in West Oak Lane. Atkins approached the girl near Broad Street and 66th Avenue, held an object to her head, threatened to kill her, then forced her against a fence and raped her, police said.

At some point in the intervening years, Atkins was arrested on an unrelated offense, but police would not comment yesterday on how they were led to him.

Police also arrested Edward Lowe, 61, Wednesday on the 1600 block of Juniata Street. Lowe is believed to be homeless. He was charged with rape and other offenses in connection with an assault on a 16-year-old girl in 1999. The girl had been walking on Frankford Avenue in Fishtown when Lowe attacked her, police said.

Lowe was linked to the rape last year after his DNA was entered into a database as a convicted offender. He had been arrested on another offense, and investigators obtained a sample of his DNA and matched it to the sample taken as evidence in the 1999 assault.

Lab workers from the Police Department's forensic science division are constantly reviewing cases, said Capt. John Darby of the Special Victims Unit.

"Both victims were extremely happy about the arrests," Darby said, "and shocked that we were still investigating the cases."