Where you live matters when it comes to prosecuting rape suspects

A murderer can be convicted decades after committing the crime, because there is no statute of limitations on most homicides in America.

The same isn’t always true for sexual assault, as Dana Beatty learned when DNA evidence pointed to a suspect 34 years after her brutal assault, because under Ohio law, time was up.

The statute of limitations for the most serious sexual assault cases can vary significantly for American adults depending on what state they live in, according to 2026 data from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, a nonprofit that tracks the issue. NBC News verified and analyzed the data.