Arrest made in nearly three-decade-long rape case in Fort Wayne

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — A man suspected in a 1997 rape case was arrested Tuesday, according to the Fort Wayne Police Department.

A release says David Mark Kerner, 56, is accused of raping a woman in Shoaff Park in Fort Wayne.

In the late evening of May 29, 1997, the FWPD received a report of a rape in the park. When officers met with the victim, she told them she was on a trail when she was grabbed from behind by an unknown suspect.

The release says she was dragged into the weeds, where the suspect raped her and beat her at knifepoint.

After, the victim was seen at Parkview Hospital and the Sexual Assault Treatment Center. A sex kit was collected and submitted to the Indiana State Police Laboratory.

On March 12, 2025, the FWPD received a DNA match from the Indiana State Police. Kerner, formerly of Fort Wayne, was the match.

Kerner was taken into custody in Indianapolis Tuesday before being moved to the Allen County Jail in Fort Wayne. He faces four preliminary charges: Rape, criminal deviant conduct, battery with a deadly weapon, and battery.

Help is available for victims of domestic violence. Below is a list of suggested resources on the Domestic Violence Network website:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788
• National Domestic Violence Hotline en español: 800-799-7233 o texto “START” al 88788
• Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 24-hour hotline available at 800-332-7385
• Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking
• La Plaza Indy
• The Julian Center
• Indiana Child Abuse Hotline: 800-800-5556
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673

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