MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The search for an accused serial rapist has ended.
Murfreesboro police took the suspect into custody. Ryan Taylor, age 24, has been accused in at least two sexual assaults.
He vanished earlier this year and that spawned a massive manhunt during the past six months.
It ended when Taylor was finally caught in Memphis and was then brought back to the Rutherford County jail.
Taylor vanished just one day after his criminal indictments were unsealed.
"These are very serious cases," said District Attorney Jennings Jones.
Jones said Taylor was facing charges of sexual battery and two counts of rape.
Taylor's accusers were relieved he's finally been found to stand trial.
"It just makes me sick. I want him off the street," said one of the alleged victims.
Taylor actually went to trial last year on a child rape charge, but was found not guilty.
After that verdict, new charges surfaced involving two adult women.
At the time, Kyle Evans with the Murfreesboro Police Department said catching him was a priority.
"This person is no stranger to law enforcement, and it's someone we want to get behind bars as soon as possible," said Evans.
"I go to sleep and I wake up and he was touching me. He was penetrating me," said one accuser describing the alleged attack.
A tip led U.S. Marshals and Murfeesboro Police to Taylor hiding out in Memphis.
"They never stopped looking for him. Detective Tommy Roberts didn't stop since he left the jurisdiction," said Jones, who added it's time to move forward.
"Now that he's back in custody we will prosecute him for the crimes he's charged," said Jones.
One big question has been: What was Taylor up to over the past six months? He's not talking at the jail, but there has been a chance more charge could be coming.
Authorities both here and in Memphis have been pursuing leads that could produce more alleged victims.
