FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Kevin Coe, known as the South Hill rapist, has died at 78 years old in an adult family home in Federal Way.

The Federal Way mayor's office confirmed he was reported dead of natural causes to local law enforcement authorities.

Coe's death comes just months after he was released from civil commitment at McNeil Island . Up until October, he was considered a "sexually violent predator" and confined to the state's special commitment center. Coe was released after it was determined his deteriorating physical condition and advanced age meant he could no longer be a threat to the public.

Coe is believed to have committed dozens of rapes in the Spokane area in the late 1970s and early 1980s, though he was ultimately only convicted of a fraction. Media reports from the time

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