Robert Koehler, 60, was arrested over the weekend in Brevard County and was being held without bond on Thursday after his transfer to a Miami jail. He faces charges in one assault though authorities say as many as 25 victims could be involved.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said it will take time to locate victims and determine if there is enough evidence to prosecute all of these cases. The rapes occurred between 1981 and 1986.

She said the arrest of Koehler will "hopefully bring some justice and some measure of peace" to the victims. Rundle also said quick work by lab technicians coupled with improvements in DNA technology led to the arrest.

"They did a phenomenal job," she said.

Authorities found a pit of sorts had been dug under Koehler's house, according to a search warrant. They also said they found several safes containing women's jewellery and other items, including a nail file, that might be linked to some of the crimes.

The "pillowcase rapist" was so named because he used a pillowcase or other fabric to cover the faces of his victims, usually after he broke into an apartment or town home. The assaults were often committed at knifepoint, authorities said.

Alfredo Ramirez, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said the investigation was a massive one encompassing much of South Florida. The series of assaults terrorised South Florida in the early 1980s.

"A lot of sweat and tears was put into this case," Ramirez said. "We're going to make sure he stays in jail."

Investigators obtained a DNA sample from Koehler's son following an unrelated arrest. That sample was linked to one of the assaults, leading detectives to Brevard County where they followed Koehler to obtain DNA samples from objects he touched.

They had a match.

Australian Associated Press