San Marcos police arrested 20-year-old Tyshane Vris Thomas after a community member at the Sanctuary Loft apartments reported that they found a modified BB gun, modified and painted to look like a real gun, and women’s clothing were found in a bag.
A concerned citizen called SMPD saying he found a backpack in a stairwell which contained black hooded sweatshirt, a black mask, a BB pistol made to look like a real handgun, and several items of women’s clothing.
The backpack had the owner’s name in marker, which police identified as Vris Thomas who was charged with aggravated sexual assault and being held at the Hays County Jail waiting for a set bond.
Using police records and the name on the backpack, officers were able to identify the owner as Thomas, who police say, closely matched the description the suspected serial rapist in connected sexual assaults. Thomas agreed to be questioned and confessed to three sexual assault crimes and one burglary committed in San Marcos on April 24, April 30 and May 2.
Police searched Thomas’ apartment and found duct tape, zip ties, and personal lubricant. Thomas last attended Texas State in the Fall of 2018 as a criminal justice major.