State College police said Friday that they have collected DNA from the downtown apartment in which an unknown man entered and raped a female resident on July 4; however, police are still working on a suspect match.

State College Police Lt. Dana Leonard said that finding DNA is a part of the investigative process and that it may be used to compare to a future suspect's DNA.

"It gives us some scientific information to aid in the investigation," Leonard added.

Another potential option is to submit the DNA into a state or nationwide DNA database, which contains samples of known and unknown suspects in crimes, Leonard said.

"Any DNA database comparison is down the road," he said.

By using databases such as these, police can sometimes get a lead on a suspect from another unsolved crime, he added.

The rape occurred at about 6:15 a.m. July 4 in an apartment near Pugh Street and McCormick Avenue, police said.

The man entered through an unlocked door and raped and beat the woman with a blunt object, police said.

The woman, who is in her 30s, suffered several head wounds during the attack but has been released from Mount Nittany Medical Center, Leonard said.

Police described the perpetrator as a white man in his early 20s between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 8 inches tall with a slender build. At the time of the attack, he had wire-rimmed glasses and some facial hair on his chin, police said.

The man wore a gray T-shirt, a black long-sleeved waist-length jacket, long denim shorts with a red "Wear" label on a pocket strap, a dark ball cap turned backward and gray- and dark-blue athletic shoes during the attack, police said.

The man also wore black athletic or work-type gloves with hook and loop Velcro wrist straps, police said.

According to a State College police press release, the woman additionally reported that the man had an odor of cigarettes on his breath the morning of July 4 and may have a discolored tooth that is sometimes visible.

A certified forensic police sketch artist from the Erie Police Department collaborated with the victim to complete a more detailed composite sketch of the man.

Police are asking anyone who has seen someone resembling the composite or with information regarding the attack to call 814-234-7150.