Toronto police are offering a reward and circulating an age-enhanced composite sketch to identify a man they believe may be connected with a pair of sexual assaults that occurred almost 20 years ago.

Police said DNA evidence recovered during the investigations has linked one suspect to two knifepoint attacks that occurred in the early 1990s.

"The forensic evidence has shown conclusively that the same male is responsible," Det. Ali Ansari, a member of the Toronto police sex crimes unit, told reporters during a news conference Tuesday. 

He said police have been aware of the link since about 2002, but waited until now to disclose it.

Ansari said investigators have exhausted all avenues and are offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads police to the suspect.

Police are hoping the reward will motivate people with information to contact detectives. Police are also hoping that someone will be able to identify the suspect from the composite sketches.

The first sexual assault occurred on Poulette Street, near Dundas Street East and Parliament Street, in November 1993.

A 19-year-old woman was attacked, police said.

In July 1994, a 46-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in a second-floor apartment in the Queen Street West and Bathurst Street area, police said.

DNA samples match

Ansari said police found a link between the two cases when they sent DNA samples to a lab for testing in 2002.

The DNA samples matched, he said.

A composite sketch was created in 1993. Police have age-enhanced the sketch to show what the suspect may look like today.

"If you know someone who looks like that in 1993 and looks anything like the … aged composites, I want to hear from you," Ansari said.

Ansari said he recently spoke to the women about the investigation.

"They're both still very much interested in pursuing the matter and we will be pursuing this until we get our man," he said.

At the time of the attacks, the suspect was described as a white or biracial man who was 18 to 20 years old, had small hands, bushy brown hair, short dreadlocks, a moustache and beard, Ansari said.

He was wearing a multi-coloured kangaroo-style jacket and running shoes, Ansari said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Ansari at 416-808-7448, the sex crimes unit at 416-808-7474 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).