Kang worked at a Marathon gas station in Fairfield and lived near Markham’s residence, according to a Fairfield Police Department statement.
Fairfield police Chief Mike Dickey would not talk about the connection in the cases.
“We’ve been in contact with Oxford police. You’ll have to draw your own conclusions from that,” Dickey said.
Kang’s attorney, Firooz Namei of Cincinnati, denies his client’s involvement in the sexual assault charge, and said “I really doubt my client had any involvement in that,” referring to the Markham case.
Namei said his client has lived in Fairfield for a number of years and confirmed Kang worked at the Marathon station on River Road, which he said is owned by Kang’s family.
Karyn Winkler, the mother of Markham’s fiance, John Carter, said Thursday she felt like this was the first substantial information in the case since Katelyn disappeared.
“I just want Katelyn home, and I want her OK, and this is indicating maybe not,” she said
Winkler said she had never heard of Kang before now.
Kang was arrested about two weeks ago by authorities in in Detroit and was extradited to Ohio.
On April 15, 2011, a 22-year-old female student living in the 500 block of North Campus Avenue reported to Oxford police she woke up and found Kang on top of her.
Kang, who is being held in Butler County Jail on $250,000 bond, appeared Thursday in Butler County Area 1 Court. He has been charged with sexual battery. His case was bound over to the grand jury, a court employee said.
Markham, 22, has been missing for more than nine months.
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