(CNN) A Florida woman who woke up to a stranger sexually assaulting her 36 years ago may finally get justice after DNA helped crack the brutal rape case.

The attack happened on August 22, 1983, in the victim's home in Coral Springs. The woman was in her bedroom about 6 a.m. when a man held a steak knife to her neck, CNN affiliate WPEC reported . When she screamed, he told her to shut up. "I have loved you for months," he told her after the rape.

At the time, the suspect was described as a slender white male with brown hair, a strong cologne and a heavy Southern accent, said Officer Tyler Reik, a spokesman for the Coral Springs Police Department.

DNA collected at the scene was later sent to a crime lab, but the technology available at the time did not identify a suspect, police said Friday.

Timothy Norris

The victim reached out to the police

Read More