Women’s underwear labeled with sticky notes found in sex assault suspect’s home, police say

TEMPE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) — Police in Arizona say a disturbing discovery was made in the home of a man accused of sexual assault on Halloween.

Newly released court documents detail how police say the assault happened and how the suspect was caught, including finding a collection of women’s underwear with some having sticky note labels.

A forensic psychologist who reviewed the allegations said the discovery raises concerns about the possibility of other victims.

Mach Kim, 46, was arrested Nov. 5 on charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping, sexual assault and sexual abuse in connection with an Oct. 31 attack on a woman in Tempe.

What police say happened

The alleged assault began in the afternoon in Tempe, where Kim allegedly forced a woman into his vehicle at gunpoint.

Court documents said the woman was walking home from a party when a driver stopped, pointed what she described as a black pistol at her and told her to get in or he would shoot her.

Kim reportedly made the woman put on an eye mask and drove her to another location, where he sexually assaulted her and forced her to give him her underwear.

Police said Kim then dropped the woman off, where she found someone nearby to help her call police.

The woman showed officers where she had been dropped off before she was taken for a sexual assault exam. Police found her phone and keys on the ground at the drop-off location.

Police said GPS data from her phone showed the route she was taken on, including where she was picked up and dropped off.

How police identified Kim

Police said they used the GPS information to help identify Kim as the sexual assault suspect.

Investigators reviewed camera footage along the route, matching it to the timeline from her phone’s GPS, which led them to a white Dodge Ram pickup registered to Kim.

Court documents said his driver’s license photo resembled a sketch the woman helped create.

Detectives then surveilled Kim on Nov. 5 and collected a DNA sample from a Wendy’s cup he threw away, according to court documents. Police said the DNA on the cup matched DNA collected in the woman’s sexual assault kit.

What police found

When police arrested Kim in Scottsdale, a search of his car uncovered a black CO2 gun shaped like a handgun, a black sleep mask, six pairs of women’s underwear, a pillow and a towel.

In his Chandler home, police say they found 13 pairs of women’s underwear and an eye mask. Seven of the pairs had sticky notes with dates and names.

Forensic psychologist John De La Torre said the labeled items could be connected to other victims and could have been kept as mementos. That was his assessment, not a confirmed finding about the items.

“The initial impulse in me is to think that all of these, because they’re labeled, all of these are meant as mementos,” he said.

De La Torre said keeping mementos is not limited to serial killers. He also said the allegations raise concerns about the possibility of escalation.

“All of these things, you know, raise a level of concern about the possibility of escalation,” he said.

After Kim was taken to jail, he invoked his rights and said he did not want to answer more questions about the charges without a lawyer.

Detectives believe there could be other victims who have not yet come forward. Potential victims or others with information are asked to call Tempe police at 480-350-8311.