Who is Carlos Nava? Las Vegas serial rapist who targeted prostitutes may have kept panties as trophies
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Police discovered 17 different pairs of women's underwear on the alleged serial rapist that he may have kept as trophies, according to a report by officials. Carlos Nava, 46, is charged with five alleged sexual assaults, one of which occurred in 2003 and was considered a "cold case." In one case, the alleged victim was a minor, under 16.
Nava is accused of committing the crimes while illegaly present in the United States. Police said DNA evidence linked him to the rapes. The allegations are detailed in the arrest file, which was obtained by 8 News Now.
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A sex worker reported to police July 10 that she had gotten involved with a man for $100 who picked her up outside the Orleans Casino in a white truck. The woman told police the man did not stop performing sexual acts, held a knife to her throat, removed a condom and sexually assaulted her. She also claimed the man stole her money and phone, hit her on the head with a glass bottle and chased her when she tried to flee, according to the documents. After she fled, the woman rushed naked to a neighboring Walgreens for help. Investigators viewed security footage from surrounding stores.
Police stopped Nava and arrested him eleven days later. According to authorities, a search warrant was issued to examine his white truck for evidence and obtain his DNA. According to investigators, they discovered a backpack containing latex gloves and 17 different pairs of women's underwear that had been folded, stacked and secured with a rubber band.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's arrest report noted that, "Though rare, people who commit sexual assault-related crimes have been known to keep property belonging to victims as a trophy of the incident." In October Nava's DNA was connected to four further sex offenses. According to police, the crimes all had a common factor in that they included prostitutes who were picked up on the street by the suspect.
A minor stated that on August 12, 2003, she was picked up by a man and they decided to have sexual intercourse. She claimed that the man led her to an abandoned house where they consensually performed sexual acts. Police were called by a friend of the accused victim. According to the arrest report, she decided not to press charges.
A woman claimed she accidentally got into a car she believed belonged to a friend on February 4, 2010, in Henderson. She told police that the driver of the vehicle pulled out a knife, locked the doors, and said, "I want sex." She also told police the man forced her to take off her clothes and sexually assaulted her. According to a sexual assault nurse exam conducted by a medical professional, the accused victim may be mentally disabled.
A sex worker reported to police that she got into a car on Boulder Highway on March 16, 2013. She said the driver sexually assaulted her and held a knife to her throat after refusing the price she offered. She confessed that she was afraid of the police and said she did not want to be detained as a runaway.
On July 17, 2015, a woman reported to police that she had gotten into a car on Desert Inn Road in search of marijuana. She claimed the driver brandished a knife, demanded she undress, and then sexually assaulted her. The alleged victim and police spoke again on November 2, 2022. She stated she was a sex worker panhandling on Boulder Highway. She stated she climbed out the driver's side window of the suspect's car and fled the vehicle unclothed. The woman recognized a pair of pants that matched the style of pants she would have been wearing when police showed her underwear that was found in Nava's possession.
Since 2002, Nava has entered the country illegally at least eight times, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman. Several times he has been granted permission to travel to Mexico, but at least twice he has been removed as a result of Immigration and Customs Enforcement requests. Law enforcement officials have found him in California, Arizona and Las Vegas. His criminal record includes arrests for domestic violence and assault. He was most recently deported to Mexico after a 2020 arrest.
According to court documents, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Daniel Westmeyer set bail at $5,000 following Nava's arrest in July. After posting bail, Nava was placed under electronic surveillance. Plainclothes officers arrested Nava for the series of sexual assaults at a later court appearance.