Captured after nine years: The children's party clown who 'kidnapped and raped 12-year-old in his full make up and costume'

A professional clown has been arrested for kidnapping and raping a 12-year-old girl while wearing his clown mask and make-up.

Jose Guadalupe Jimenez, whose clown name is ‘El Tin Larin’, from Los Angeles is accused of taking the girl to a school car park, raping her, taking her to a nearby motel and molesting her before she managed to escape.

The 41-year-old was linked to the crime which took place in Orange County, California in 2002 through DNA after he was arrested last year for an unrelated crime, police said.

Accused: Jose Guadalupe Jimenez, who works as a professional clown, was arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl while dressed in full make-up and his clown outfit, right, after police linked his DNA to the crime



He has been a clown for around nine years and police believe there may be other victims he has assaulted

His arrest a year ago in Newport Beach was on suspicion of physically abusing a child, leading police to believe there may be other child victims. That case is still pending.

Fullerton Police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich explained why the rape case had gone cold.

He said: ‘The problem was, the only description we had was “a clown”.

‘We had DNA from the sexual assault and we put it in the system.’

Jimenez is accused of abducting the girl shortly after midnight on January 19, 2002, and taking her to a nearby school, where he raped her in the parking lot while wearing his clown mask and make-up.

He then allegedly took the girl to a motel and molested her again before she was able to escape when he walked away from the car to speak to a desk clerk.

Goodrich said detectives were asking for the public's help in identifying possible additional victims of Jimenez, who for the past nine years has performed as a clown at parties, mostly in Latino communities.

‘Who knows how many other possible victims there might be,’ he said.

‘We're hoping that any past victims might recognize him, both with or without his clown make-up, and come forward.’