DETROIT – The U.S. Marshals and Detroit police are seeking a man wanted for kidnapping and raping a 10-year-old girl in 2007.
Authorities said that Corey Deshawn Gaston, 39, broke into the child's bedroom through her window June 27, 2007. He put her over his shoulder and ran to an alley, where he brutally raped her, authorities said.
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Gaston told the child to go home and threatened to hurt her if she screamed or tried to run away.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where a rape kit was administered. When interviewed by police, she identified Gaston from a lineup of photos.
An arrest warrant was issued for Gaston in early July 2007 and Marshals arrested him in Georgia. He was returned to Michigan for prosecution.
Gaston was granted bond in August 2007 as he awaited his February 2008 trial date. While Gaston was on bond, evidence was found linking him to the rape.
When the trial time came, the Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team went looking for Gaston. They located him in the Detroit area, but he managed to elude officers and escape. He was listed as one of the 15 most wanted fugitives in 2017.
According to Marshals, Gaston played hockey on an all-black hockey team and mentored younger family members and other community youth through hockey. Gaston also attended Michigan State University and played intramural club hockey there for a year. He did not play MSU varsity hockey.
Gaston has been driving trucks since 2002. He knows people from all around the country, and authorities say they believe he could be anywhere.
He has ties to Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio and California. He has family and friends in these states and has spent time there in the past. Canada and Mexico are also places Gaston held financial and friendship ties from his days as a hockey player and truck driver.
Gaston has no other documented criminal history. The lack of criminal history provides him the opportunity to be involved in children’s sports and around others who have access to young girls, Marshals said.
Gaston is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Gaston is pigeon-toed and has a distinctive bowlegged walk. He has an athletic build and has been described as “cut up.”
He has had staples in the right side of his head and is balding on top. Gaston has worn braids in the past and grown his beard longer to look older. He has a scar on one of his knees.
A reward up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading to his arrest. Anyone with information about Gaston is asked to call the Marshals at 1-800-336-0102.