Fairfax County Police Department News

West Springfield Police District –  A Fairfax County man is in custody for a 1999 abduction of a woman in the Burke area. This morning, detectives from our Fugitive Taskforce with the assistance of the Hyattsville City Police Department arrested 67-year-old Allen Lewis Buracker at his workplace in the 2900 block of Belcrest Drive in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau – Cold Case Squad have been actively working on this case and new investigative leads allowed detectives to identify Buracker as a suspect.   On August 18, 1999, a woman was attempting to locate a business in the Burke Town Plaza in the 9500 block of Old Keene Mill Road when she was approached by Buracker who was there doing property maintenance. He lured the victim to a vacant office where he brandished a knife and assaulted her. She was eventually able to escape and called the police. This composite sketch was released to the public shortly after the 1999 incident.

 

                                                    

Composite Sketch                                                      Buracker DMV Photo 2002

Major Ed O’Carroll, Commander of the Major Crimes Bureau, said, “Our Cold Case Squad is a dedicated group of talented detectives that relentlessly pursue justice for the hundreds of victims of unsolved murders and sexual assaults. Their tireless efforts on these always active and important cases are a testament to their work ethic and the law enforcement profession. They will continue to bring closure to those victims and families affected by these heinous crimes.”

Buracker is currently charged with being a Fugitive from Justice and is being held at the Hyattsville Department of corrections.  He will be facing  abduction with the intent to defile charges once he’s extradited back to Fairfax County.

Since the 1990s, it is believed that Buracker has lived and worked in the following Virginia and Maryland counties or cities doing property maintenance: Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Prince George’s, Fredericksburg, and Harrisonburg. Detectives believe there is a possibility there are other victims. They are asking for anyone with additional information to please call the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800.

 

Original Release: August 18, 1999

Fairfax County Police are investigating the abduction and assault of a 25 year old Burke area woman which occurred at Burke Town Plaza in the 9500 block of Old Keene Mill Road in the Burke area about 7:00 p.m. Wednesday. The victim was looking at the plaza for a business which had moved. A passerby offered to show her where the business had relocated, and led her to a vacant office where he grabbed her and pulled out a knife. He tried to restrain her, and she struggled with him, receiving several cuts and bruises in the process. During the course of the assault, she was able to take advantage of an opportunity to flee to safety. Police were then called, and the woman was taken to INOVA Fairfax Hospital where she was treated for cuts and bruises and released. The man is described as white, in his fifties, about six feet tall, weighing 200 pounds, with grey hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a grey t-shirt, light blue jeans and a baseball cap.