DNA evidence leads to arrest in 1986 Gwinnett County serial rape cold case, police say

The Lawrenceville Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation have made an arrest in a cold case rape investigation nearly 40 years after the crimes occurred.

In the summer of 1986, authorities say they responded to multiple incidents around Lawrenceville and unincorporated Gwinnett County involving adult women who had been sexually assaulted in their apartments. The unidentified suspect was able to get away before the victims could contact law enforcement.

While looking into the case, investigators noticed similarities, including how the suspect entered his victims’ homes and his description. Despite attempts to identify the culprit, the case remained unsolved for decades.

In 2025, investigators reopened the case to use modern forensic analysis to take another look at the evidence that had been gathered years before. Through DNA and investigative genealogy techniques, officials say they identified a suspect, 60-year-old Glenn Daniel Plybon.

Lawrenceville Chief of Police John Mullen said he credited advancements in DNA technology with bringing some “long-awaited justice.”

“Even after nearly 40 years, modern technology and strong partnerships between law enforcement agencies helped us solve this decades-old case, hold this offender accountable, and bring some measure of peace to the victims and their families,” Mullen said in a statement.

“Regardless of how much time has passed, a single new lead or advancement in technology can bring resolution to any case, including decades-old sexual assaults,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said. “Every victim deserves justice, and we will not relent in our pursuit of it.”

Officers arrested Plybon at his home in Oglethorpe County on Wednesday morning. He is in custody without bond at the Gwinnett County Jail on multiple felony rape charges.

The investigation remains active, and anyone with information is asked to call the Lawrenceville Police Department.