Man accused of raping 5 women in Missouri may have victims in 4 other states, cops say

A Missouri man accused of luring at least five women to his Ballwin apartment and raping them may have victims in four other states, police say.

Yahya Maly, 28, met his victims on a dating app, McClatchy News previously reported, and the sexual assaults occurred over a span of 23 months, from March 2023 to Feb. 2.

His most recent victim came forward to police after she says Maly violently raped her on a first date. They met at a park, then she agreed to go to his apartment, at which point he told her “they were now married,” and he repeatedly assaulted her for seven hours, McClatchy reported.

Four more women spoke to police and shared similar accounts.

However, Maly may have assaulted women in four other states, the St. Louis County Police Department said in a Feb. 24 news release.

Maly was attending Logan University, in Chesterfield, to become a chiropractor, outlets reported. Chesterfield is a roughly 20-mile drive west from St. Louis.

But before coming to Missouri, Maly lived in:

• Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, for about a month from Jan. 27, 2023 to Feb. 25, 2023
• Tucson, Arizona, from Dec. 3, 2022 to Jan. 17, 2023
• Chicago, Illinois, from Jan. 12, 2022 to Feb. 12, 2022
• Henrico County, Virginia, from 2013 to 2021

“Maly met several of his victims through dating apps. He utilized the first name of ‘John’ on dating apps,” police said. “Anyone who may have been victimized by Yahya in these areas is urged to contact their local law enforcement agency.”

Maly is facing multiple counts of rape and his bond is set at $500,000, records show.

No attorney information is listed for Maly, who recently requested a bond reduction during a Feb. 20 court hearing. In court, he said he’s been “having panic attacks” in jail, suffers from diagnosed anxiety and is “not a threat to anyone,” documents show. He added his parents live overseas, that he “hasn’t seen them in many years” and they are coming to St. Louis soon to visit.

The judge denied his request, deeming him a flight risk and “a danger to the community,” documents show.

“There are multiple victims, and we are fearful and somewhat certain that there could be other potential victims. So, that makes him an extreme danger to the community,” Melissa Price Smith, St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, told KMOV. Since Maly’s arrest, a sixth woman came forward to police with accusations against him.

Three women Maly is accused of raping were in attendance at the hearing, the outlet reported.

“One said to me today, this is the first time that she’s actually been able to feel some peace, knowing that she is safe from him. And that he will not be able to attack her again.” assistant prosecuting attorney Ashley Bailey-Smith told the station. “And so, that is an overarching concern for us with this case.”

McClatchy News reached out to Logan University for comment, but didn’t immediately receive a response.

Maly was a student at Logan University from 2023 to 2025, the university told KSDK.

Logan University is primarily focused on chiropractic and health sciences, according to the school’s website.

This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Man accused of raping 5 women in Missouri may have victims in 4 other states, cops say."