SEATTLE — Laura Schafer and Ronda Deline Guzman met face to face for the first time on Friday. They are coming together to shine a spotlight on an underreported crime. Two of three sexual assaults go unreported, according to RAINN.
"My husband was away. I was home alone, and an intruder broke into my house in the middle of the night,” said Deline Guzman.
It happened in Chandler, Arizona in 1986. A little more than a decade later in the same city, Schafer survived an attack at a park.
"I had a guy come up behind me on a bike,” said Schafer.
The two women, who didn't know each other back then, share similar stories.
"I had no peace at home even, you know, because it happened in my home,” said Deline Guzman.
She moved from Arizona to Washington state, and it just so happens Schafer did too.
"Because of the things that I had been through there I didn't want to be there anymore,” Schafer explained.
Both of their cases remained unsolved until their files received another look using preserved evidence and forensic genealogy.
"I did a composite sketch, and it was pretty close to the person,” said Deline Guzman.
In her case, police say the person who committed the sexual assault had already passed away.
In Schafer's case, the evidence led police to Adan Lopez-Perez, who is still in prison today.
Both women remember when the call came.
"April 4, 2019,” said Schafer.
"In January of 2019,” said Deline Guzman.
Not only were their cases solved the same year, but they were also solved by the same person, someone who thought the two women should meet. Detective Ashley Nolan with the Chandler Police Department connected the pair.
"So they can be a support system for each other,” Nolan explained.
Now the survivors want to help others.
"I think it's amazing that both Ronda and Laura are using their voice to talk about their story and getting the information out there, and hopefully, getting people to come forward,” said Nolan.
Deline Guzman and Schafer say that thanks to technology, cases are being solved more often. They are encouraging all sexual assault survivors to report the crimes.
“Be strong and tell your story,” Schafer said.
They are telling their stories so other survivors with cold cases know there is hope.