ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. —The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Wednesday issued more than a dozen charges against a Ballwin man who police say raped and kidnapped several women over the past two years. Prosecutors released new information about the suspect at a press conference Thursday, saying he was under investigation for months prior to the arrest and attending college nearby.
Yahya Maly, a 28-year-old Ballwin resident, faces multiple counts of rape, kidnapping and sodomy in connection with five incidents from March 2023 to Febuary 2025. Investigators believe there may be more victims.
“These crimes have caused terrible pain and trauma for the victims,” said Melissa Price Smith, St. Louis County prosecutor. “Their courage coming forward has made all the difference…To anyone out there who is a victim of Mr. Maly, I want you to know your voice matters… Please come forward if you too have been a victim.”
Prosecutors say Maly, a student at Logan Chiropractic College, assaulted women inside his Ballwin apartment after meeting them on dating apps. He also went by the name John, according to police.
Maly was arrested on Wednesday, days after the fifth woman was assaulted according to investigators.
“I wish we could have brought it forth sooner…We’ve been working investigative leads for several months prior to this,” said Gerald Lohr, commanding officer for the Division of Criminal Investigation. “It's just the investigative nature of the way we collect information…We work as swiftly and as tirelessly as we can to bring forward a case that we can prosecute without tainting evidence.”
Police explain one victim was kept in Maly's room for seven hours before he allowed her to leave. One woman told police she agreed to take a walk with him at a park after the assault as a means of escaping. Investigators say the women are close in age and live in the St. Louis-area, but Maly may have more victims elsewhere.
“The victims are all very trusting,” said Gerald Lohr, commanding officer for the Division of Criminal Investigation. “The commonality here is this is an individual who puts himself out on a social media platform, and the victims all trusted him… on these platforms, which hundreds of hundreds of thousands of people use, it's important that you truly know who it is you’re meeting.”
Victim advocacy groups are providing resources and support to those who come forward. Investigators are also working with Logan College to obtain information about Maly and communicate with students. Maly is being held on a $500,000 bond. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 314-615-5400.
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