Michael Lance Gamez was sentenced to 15 years in prison after DNA evidence connected him to attacks reported in 1999 and 2000.
AUSTIN, TX — DNA evidence collected more than 25 years ago helped Austin police identify a suspect in two previously unsolved attempted sexual assaults, leading to an arrest, guilty plea and 15-year prison sentence, according to the Austin Police Department.
Michael Lance Gamez was identified after investigators revisited forensic evidence from attacks reported in September 1999 and February 2000. Police said DNA from the two cases had been linked to the same unknown man in 2000, but investigators did not learn his identity until more than two decades later. Gamez was arrested in November 2024 and later pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated sexual assault.
The first case began Sept. 9, 1999, at the Capital Metro Pavilion Park and Ride in the 12400 block of Research Boulevard. Police said a woman had arrived on a northbound Leander bus and was sitting on a bench between about 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. when an unknown man approached her. As she began walking toward a nearby convenience store, the man assaulted her and attempted to sexually assault her, police said. She screamed, and the attacker fled. Investigators collected forensic evidence as part of the case.
Less than five months later, on Feb. 8, 2000, another woman was returning to her apartment in the 9000 block of Northgate Boulevard around noon, according to police. An unknown man approached her as she opened her door and asked for assistance. After she allowed him inside, police said the man attacked and restrained her and attempted to sexually assault her. The woman fought back, and the man fled. Investigators again recovered forensic evidence.
On April 3, 2000, the Texas Department of Public Safety notified Austin police that DNA evidence from the two investigations matched the same unidentified male, according to APD. Detectives continued working the cases and developed leads, but authorities said they were unable to identify the person connected to the DNA profile for more than 20 years.
The investigation changed on Oct. 11, 2023, when Texas DPS notified Austin police that the DNA profile had been identified as belonging to Gamez, police said. In February 2024, APD detectives William Costello and Grace Wolfsbane located Gamez, obtained a search warrant for a DNA sample and interviewed him. The sample was submitted to the Texas DPS Crime Laboratory for comparison with evidence preserved from the two cases.
The state laboratory confirmed on Oct. 30, 2024, that Gamez was the source of the DNA evidence from the investigations, according to police. He was arrested Nov. 15, 2024, and charged in connection with both attacks. The charges included aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; attempted aggravated sexual assault, a second-degree felony; and attempted sexual assault, a third-degree felony.
Gamez pleaded guilty May 20, 2026, to one count of attempted aggravated sexual assault and asked to be sentenced by a judge. On Aug. 3, Judge Chantal Eldridge of the 331st District Court sentenced him to 15 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Austin police announced the resolution of the two cases Sept. 2, emphasizing that forensic evidence preserved for decades ultimately allowed investigators to connect the attacks and identify the person responsible.
The cases are now considered closed by Austin police. The department said the investigations show how preserved forensic evidence and continued investigative work can provide new leads years after a crime was originally reported.
Author note: Last updated September 3, 2026.