‘South Hill Rapist’ Kevin Coe resides in Auburn, according to sex offender registry

Kevin Coe, the man known as the “South Hill Rapist,” will live in an adult care home in an Auburn , Washington, neighborhood.

Coe is registered as a Level 3 sex offender, the highest designation in the state of Washington. Coe is listed at 6 -foot -2 and 150 pounds. According to the registry, Coe will reside on Auburn’s west hill, approximately a half-mile from the Muckleshoot Casino.

Coe terrorized Spokane from 1977 to 1981 by raping dozens of teen girls and women on Spokane’s South Hill. Authorities believe he is responsible for the rapes of as many as 40 people, according to court documents and previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review.

Now 77 years old, Coe was released from confinement last week – more than four decades after his conviction because he is in poor health and no longer deemed a threat to society.

The new Auburn address comes after state officials initially said Coe would live in a group home in Federal Way following his release from McNeil Island. The move sparked confusion and concern from nearby residents, many of whom learned of his impending arrival from reporters who knocked on doors to ask for their reaction.

While several news crews waited for hours at the home Thursday, he did not arrive, and reporters who knocked on the door of the home were turned away.

Coe has received a much quieter response in Auburn. While it’s unclear when he moved in, several residents of the neighborhood, who did not wish to speak on the record, said they were unaware of his new address, and one neighbor cited previous news reports that he would reside in Federal Way. The neighbors said they had not received a notification that a sex offender had moved into the area.

Those who spoke to The Spokesman-Review generally described the neighborhood as quiet, with minimal issues, and one person noted it has mostly older residents.

In a statement, Cynthia Shipley, a spokesperson for the Department of Social and Health Services, said Coe “has been unconditionally released by a court and is no longer in the care or custody of DSHS.” Shipley referred further questions to the King County Sheriff’s office, the agency that oversees the county’s sex offender registry.

Brandyn Hull, a spokesperson for the King County Sheriff’s office, said the Auburn Police Department would ultimately handle any notification to nearby residents “if they chose to do so.”

Coe will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.