Police use AirTag to identify burglary, sexual assault suspect in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh woman told police she woke up in the middle of a terrifying home invasion and sexual assault inside her Oakland home.

According to a criminal complaint, officers used a reportedly stolen Apple AirTag to track down 29-year-old Charles Willis, who police say later confessed to both breaking into the home and sexually assaulting the victim.

“That’s insane. Yeah, that’s crazy,” Emily Hoffman, a resident who lives nearby.

Police say the incident happened around 4 a.m. Thursday, May 22, at a home on Parkview Avenue in Oakland.

Court paperwork states the woman woke up to a noise coming from her room and saw a figure “quietly, quickly and calmly” getting up from the other side of her bed before leaving the room.

She later told investigators she saw a “shadowy figure” near her living room window before the person climbed out.

“Hearing that, it does make me want to lock my doors at night,” said Deeksha Rachupalli, another Oakland resident.

Investigators say Willis later admitted to breaking into the home and sexually assaulting the woman while she was sleeping unclothed.

According to the complaint, he told police he was looking for cigarettes, money and items he could salvage.

The victim, the next day on Friday, May 22, also reported that two dollars and an Apple AirTag were missing from the home.

She told police she could see the AirTag pinging near the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, close to several homeless encampments.

Officers eventually found Willis walking near train tracks in the area above Boundary Road, but he denied stealing anything.

According to investigators, he told police he understood what he did was wrong and said he was “a weak man.”

“It sounds like he wasn’t in the right state of mind, if I’m being honest,” said Rachupalli. “Breaking into a home, it’s not a logical decision you make.”

Willis is currently being held in the Allegheny County Jail, facing burglary, indecent assault, and several other charges.

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