Where you live matters when it comes to prosecuting rape suspects
States with criminal statutes of limitations for adult rape (orange) and no statutes (green)Jiachuan Wu / NBC NewsShareAdd NBC News to GoogleOct. 2, 2026, 3:19 PM EDT / Updated Oct. 2, 2026, 3:32 PM EDTBy Tim Stelloh, Kimberly Flores Gaynor and Jiachuan WuThe statute of limitations for the most serious type of sexual assault cases can differ 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.
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Jiachuan WuJiachuan Wu is a senior graphics editor for NBC News Digital.
