Relative says Boston firefighter violated her when she was 6 years old

The disturbing case of a Boston Firefighter charged with child rape could be expanding.

Boston 25 News learned that prosecutors with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office are investigating more sickening accusations against Samuel Perez.

A young woman who claims she was violated by Perez during her childhood years spoke with Boston 25 News reporter Drew Karedes on Tuesday. She says she’s been living with shame and anger for more than a decade now and had lost hope that the Boston Firefighter would ever be held accountable.

On Tuesday, she sat down with the DA’s child protection unit for hours, retelling a story that she says was difficult to articulate when she was a little girl.

“I was in a really dark place, and I go to therapy to this day,” she said. “I have my power back.”

The young woman was adamant about sharing identity and disclosing her relationship with Perez.

However, Boston 25 News is only referring to her as a relative of the suspect due to the sensitivity of the accusations.

At this time, Perez has not been charged in connection with the allegations she is making.

Perez remains in jail after being arrested on accusations of child rape related to a different alleged victim.

"Did I ever think he would get caught? No, because he is sneaky," she said. "Now, I'm just disgusted."

The suspect’s relative said she wishes her story could’ve been enough to lead to justice years ago.

She claims Perez began sexually assaulting her when she was just six years old. She alleges that it happened repeatedly for at least a year.

"I have not so pleasant memories of him touching in a way he shouldn't. I feel like I've blurred out certain parts of my childhood," she said.

A childhood she accuses Perez of taking from her.

She told Boston 25 News that she has internalized so many confusing emotions for far too long.

"Doing this is really helping me. I feel like I'm not quiet anymore. I feel like I can speak out and be heard," she said.

She claims she didn't tell her mother about the alleged abuse until years later when she was 12.

At that time, she and her family had already moved from the Boston area to Florida.

"It took a toll on me when I was younger to the point that I didn't want to be here. I felt I had no reason to be here," she said.

Her mother told Boston 25 News that in 2012, she called Boston Police to report the allegations against Perez. She said she brought her then 12-year-old daughter into a local sheriff's office in Florida to make a taped statement for authorities in Boston.

The mom said she was told by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office that there “wasn’t enough” to prosecute.

It never materialized into any charges, but then in 2016, the family received a letter from the Suffolk DA's Office saying it had not forgotten about the case, despite how much time had passed.

"I want him to be held accountable... after so many years," said the young woman making the allegations.

She says she never could have predicted what she saw plastered across the news this past Monday - the image of Perez in handcuffs.

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"You're a firefighter. People are supposed to look up to you and no one should look up to him. He's a horrible human being. He's the dirtiest person I've ever met," she said.

While she was not the alleged victim associated with the headline of Perez's arrest, she believes she may finally be getting closer to the justice she says she's waited all these years for.

"I always wanted to ask him why he did it or do you even feel sorry and I know I'll never get an answer from him," she said.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office would only confirm that it is investigating these additional accusations against Perez.

The DA’s Office would not answer questions as to why the case wasn’t prosecuted when it was first reported because of the nature of the case.

Boston 25 News reached out to the suspect’s attorney Keith Nicholson on Tuesday afternoon, and he said this is the first he’s heard of these additional accusations. Nicholson said he was attempting to contact Perez on Tuesday afternoon to ask him about it.

According to Nicholson, Perez has denied any wrongdoing involving children during previous conversations.

Cox Media Group