Conviction stands for man in 2006 Oxford rape who was discovered through DNA tracing

The conviction last summer of a man who sexually assaulted a Miami University student in 2006 has been affirmed 12th District Court of Appeals.

Lloyd Ailes, 59, a construction worker in Oxford 16 years ago, pleaded guilty in May to two counts of rape, two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of aggravated robbery with gun specifications.

In June 2022, Butler County Common Pleas Judge Keith Spaeth sentenced Ailes to 17 years in prison. He said also Ailes was classified as a sexually-oriented offender, meaning he will have to register with the sheriff’s office where he lives for 10 years after released from prison.

Ailes was taken into custody on Dec. 9, 2021, in Connersville, Ind., by Ohio law enforcement, based on evidence pieced together by DNA geneaology tracing.

The indictment came after a lengthy investigation by the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation was led by county prosecutor’s investigator Paul Newton.

The appellate court upheld Ailes conviction Monday after reviewing the case records and find no error prejudicial to Ailes’ rights in the proceedings in the trial court.

The assault occurred Jan. 9, 2006, at an off-campus house in Oxford, according to court records.

Ailes wore a mask, but his face was visible to the woman for a brief time and a sketch of the suspect was developed. His DNA also was found and labeled “John Doe” by Oxford Police. After forcing the woman to commit several sex acts, Ailes took $60 from her purse, according to prosecutors.

In March 2006, a similar attack happened in Fayette County, Ind. DNA collected there matched the DNA in the Oxford case. However, there was no match to DNA entered in any law enforcement database. The case went cold until following the DNA through genealogy pointed to the accused.

Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said his office had been working for years with experts from Parabon NanoLabs to track down the suspect using genealogy DNA databases to piece together a family tree of the suspect.

That’s when the search began that ended with “John Doe” becoming Lloyd Ailes.

Ailes is also now being prosecuted in Fayette County, Ind. for alleged crimes in that incident, according to court records.

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