“Zombie Mike,” suspected of raping a developmentally disabled woman who uses a wheelchair in New York, is being sought by federal agents who say he has ties to the Bay Area, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Michael Steven Hawkins, 29, has eluded capture for the nearly four years since he was linked to the June 10, 2012, rape of the woman at her Schenectady apartment, apparently while other family members were asleep nearby.
While Hawkins was a fugitive in the case, he reportedly raped a friend’s wife on Nov. 8, 2013 after being invited to a family gathering in Rotterdam, New York. He has been charged in absentia with first-degree sex abuse, first-degree rape, and other offenses in the two assaults.
Authorities said Hawkins’ poor hygiene spurred his friends to nickname him “Zombie Mike,” and known as “someone who can hide anywhere to include wooded areas and survive off scraps.” He reportedly has personal ties in Florida, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and California.
But his footprint could be even wider because of his past working for traveling carnival companies, so the Marshals Service believes he might also be traveling with companies in Ohio, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and other East Coast locales.
“Predators like Michael Hawkins who prey on helpless victims must be brought to justice,” said U.S. Marshal David McNulty, of the Northern District of New York. “We, along with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, are determined to make sure he’s held accountable, but we need the public’s help.”
Hawkins is described as a white man standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, a one-and-a-half-inch scar on his face, a burn mark scar on his right arm, and a chest tattoo of the Grim Reaper.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to his arrest. Anyone with information about the case can contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 800-336-0102 or usms.wanted@usdoj.gov.
Contact Robert Salonga at 408-920-5002. Follow him at Twitter.com/robertsalonga.
