Man kidnaps, assaults 3 women in a week, Ohio cops say. ‘Every woman’s worst nightmare’

Over the course of four days in mid-February, a 26-year-old man is accused of kidnapping three women, raping two of them, Ohio officials say.

Officers have now arrested Rodolfo Castillo, who faces up to 85 years in prison for the alleged crimes, Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers announced on Monday, March 6.

“This is every woman’s worst nightmare. I can’t imagine the terror these women went through,” Powers said in a statement. “The courage it takes to survive something like this cannot be overstated.”

The first incident occurred on Feb. 13 when Castillo contacted a transportation service and asked for a female driver to pick up a female passenger, the prosecutor said in a news release. Castillo is accused of entering the woman’s car and telling her to drive behind an apartment building.

He then stuck a screwdriver into her ribs and forced her into the backseat, according to details from the indictment. After Castillo tied the woman’s hands and feet, he drove to the driver’s bank and withdrew money from her account, Powers said.

Castillo forced the woman to perform oral sex on him, then allowed her to leave at a gas station, the prosecutor said.

The following day, he is accused of approaching a woman leaving a Kroger grocery store and asking if she needed a ride. The woman entered the car before Castillo took her phone and punched her several times, according to the news release.

The woman jumped out of the car at a stoplight after Castillo threatened to rape and kill her, Powers said.

Again, on Feb. 16, Castillo contacted a transportation service to request a ride, according to the prosecutor. He got into the vehicle, held a knife to the woman’s ribs and told her to drive to an unknown location, the news release said.

He tied the woman’s hands and feet and raped her in a dark parking lot, the prosecutor said. He is accused of raping her a second time at the same location where he was picked up. The woman was then let out of the vehicle.

During both of the alleged rapes, Castillo told the victims he would kill them if they told anyone, Powers said.

His charges include kidnapping, rape and aggravated battery.

“We are concerned there may be more victims out there,” she said. “If you have any information relating to Rodolfo Castillo, we ask that you contact Forest Park Police Department at 513-595-5220.”

Forest Park is a northern suburb of Cincinnati.

This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 6:06 AM with the headline "Man kidnaps, assaults 3 women in a week, Ohio cops say. ‘Every woman’s worst nightmare’."