Local authorities say they have arrested a man they believe is the “Pillowcase Rapist,” who is blamed for attacking more than 40 women in South Florida during the early 1980s.

Law enforcement officials have identified the suspect as 60-year-old Robert Eugene Koehler, a registered sex offender from Palm Bay.

He was arrested on Saturday and is being held at a jail in Brevard County, awaiting transfer to Miami-Dade.

The Pillowcase Rapist allegedly terrorized women in an area stretching from South Miami to Deerfield Beach between May 1981 and February 1986.

Photo courtesy: Brevard County Sheriff’s Office

Using a pillowcase, towel or shirt in order to hide his identity, the rapist broke into town homes and apartments, attacking at least 44 women during that timeframe.

This is a developing story.