Serial sex assault suspect had ‘distinctive body odor’: cops

A Los Anges man with a “distinctive body odor” has been linked to a series of sexual assaults, according to police — who made an appeal for more victims to come forward to authorities.

Benjamin Parke Belser, 36, was arrested at his Village Green home on Feb. 4 in relation to a series of sexual assaults dating back to 2017, the Los Angeles Police Department said earlier this month.  

Belser, authorities said, met his victims online using “elaborate ruses” to conceal his identity. Witnesses, however, recalled the North Carolina native’s “distinctive body odor.”

Police said that investigators have identified five of Belser’s alleged victims, but believe there are likely others who have not come forward.

“Cases like this are especially heartbreaking because people are often reluctant to report sex crimes because they’re embarrassed,” Detective Asia Hodge of the Special Assault Section said in the statement.

“But if these many survivors are already speaking out, we think there may be more people who are waiting to speak up. We need their help to hold him accountable”

The attacks, which occurred in the West Los Angeles, Koreatown, and Downtown Los Angeles neighborhoods, are thought to have taken place from 2017 through at least 2022, when the investigation into Belser began.

As of Tuesday afternoon, records show that Belser– who is 6’5” and weighs 170 pounds– remained in custody on $6.2 million bail. 

He faces 12 felony counts, including rape, forced sodomy, forced oral copulation and sexual penetration with a foreign object, according to FOX.

“We’re gratified that the District Attorney’s office filed charges, but the work has just begun,” Hodge said of Belser’s arrest.

“We believe there are more people out there who need help and we’ll keep working until we find them.”