DNA connects man to five cold-case rapes, kidnapping in Fresno, police say
Police arrested a man suspected in five cold-case rapes in Fresno, connecting him to the unsolved cases through DNA evidence, Chief Mindy Casto said Tuesday.
Investigators used DNA collected from a distant female relative in another state to connect Cesar Flores, 55, of Fresno to rapes that occurred in Fresno County between 2016 and 2021, Casto said.
Investigators also collected a DNA sample from a close relative of Flores. He was arrested without incident at his home just outside west Fresno around 9 a.m. Tuesday, police said.
“This is one of the days that you live for. A lot of days are a grind, and I tell my officers all the time, they make a difference every day,” Casto said. “They just may not realize it, but it’s a day like today, when you can put someone behind bars who’s out there victimizing women in this community and creating fear.”
A genealogical expert in Yolo County made the genetic connection, according to Casto. Police said Tuesday they did not have details on how the expert made the discovery.
Police said four of the rapes took place in west and central Fresno, and the fifth was in a rural part of the county west of the city.
All of the women were not known to Flores, who police said he approached in public. They also accused him of using a knife in some of the attacks.
Flores had not been booked into Fresno County Jail as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office planned to arraign Flores before the Fourth of July. He faces 14 felony counts, according to Deputy District Attorney Steven Wright.
Along with five counts of rape, he was also accused of kidnapping, forcible sodomy and enhancements for the use of a knife.
“If Mr. Flores is found guilty of all those charges and allegations, he’s facing a possible term of 264 years to life in state prison,” he said.
Police said Flores had no previous criminal record or contact with officers beyond traffic stops.
Flores’s bail was set at $1.7 million.
Anyone with information on the cases was asked by police to call detectives at 559-621-2494 or 559-621-2437.
You can provide tips to Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867. Callers may remain anonymous.
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 5:08 PM.
