'There’s No Greater Threat': Investigators Link Guyana Man’s DNA To Four Tulsa County Rape Cases

Tulsa County prosecutors charged an illegal immigrant already serving time for one child sex abuse case with first-degree rape, stemming from a 2013 investigation.

Investigators say DNA led them to charge Joshua DaCosta, who is from Guyana, a country in South America near Venezuela.

Tulsa Police say the cases go back as far as 2008, and one of the victims has since died.

DaCosta was transferred from federal prison to the Tulsa County Jail and now faces charges of first-degree rape.

Investigators say DNA has linked DaCosta to separate cases from 2008 to 2019. Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado says the victim from that first case in 2008 has since passed away.

“So the timeliness of the DNA from our now deceased victim coming back, again I think goes to the fact that although she may not be here physically, she is certainly here in spirit,” said Regalado.

DaCosta is now charged in connection with the second case from 2013. Investigators say the victim was 14 years old at the time of the rape.

Officials are working on charges on the third case from 2015, and investigators say the victim in that case was 25 years old.

The fourth case, which was tried in federal court due to the Supreme Court’s ruling on tribal jurisdiction, was what landed DaCosta in prison in the first place.

DaCosta pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor and was sentenced to three years in federal prison.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler says the next step is for DaCosta to have his day in court.

"We are certainly looking forward to the opportunity of presenting evidence that are associated with these particular cases in a courtroom, in which a judge or a jury can be the final arbiter as to the responsibilities for each of these victims and their cases,” said Kunzweiler.

Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larsen hopes the result will bring justice to the victims in these cases.

"Law enforcement has often stood between evil and the citizens that we're sworn to protect,” said Larsen. “There's no greater threat than sexual assaults and rapes that occur to the innocent people that reside in our city."

DaCosta is being held in the Tulsa County Jail without bond because he entered the country illegally.

News On 6 has reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in regard to DaCosta’s immigration status and is waiting for a statement.