East Cleveland, Ohio: Authorities who responded to a report of a foul odor and found the bodies of three women in a low-income U.S. neighborhood ended a daylong search without finding others. A registered sex offender was in custody.
East Cleveland Police Chief Ralph Spotts had warned searchers to be prepared to find one or two more victims Sunday, but he declined to elaborate.
The discovery was the Cleveland area's latest high-profile case of missing women. Earlier this year, three women in an unrelated case were found and freed after being held captive in a home for years.
Spotts identified the suspect as 35-year-old Michael Madison and said he was expected to be formally charged Monday.
Mayor Gary Norton said the suspect indicated he might have been influenced by Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell, who was convicted in 2011 of murdering 11 women and sentenced to death. Sowell was arrested after a woman escaped from his house and said she had been raped. Police found the 11 women's mostly nude bodies in garbage bags and plastic sheets throughout the home.
In this latest case, one body was found Friday in a garage. Two others were found Saturday - one in a backyard and the other in the basement of a vacant house. The three female bodies, all wrapped in plastic bags, were found about 200 yards (182 meters) apart, and authorities believed the victims were killed in the last six to 10 days.
Spotts said the suspect's comments hadn't provided clarity on whether more bodies might be found.
"He really hasn't stated that there's any more, but he hasn't said anything that would make us think that there's not," Spotts said.
Sunday's search included 40 abandoned houses. Authorities want to be thorough, the mayor said.
"Hopefully, we pray to God, this is it," he said.
The bodies were each in the fetal position, wrapped in several layers of trash bags, Norton said.
Cuyahoga County medical examiner Dr. Thomas P. Gilson said the bodies were in advanced stages of decomposition and that it would take several days to identify them and how they died.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Madison had an attorney. No one commented at the address he registered.
One neighbor, Nathenia Crosby, said she was familiar with the suspect and had seen him walking through the neighborhood. She said she had told him to stop chatting with her 19-year-old daughter.
"When I found out how old he was, I said, 'You need to move on, she's too young,'" Crosby said.
East Cleveland Police Chief Ralph Spotts had warned searchers to be prepared to find one or two more victims Sunday, but he declined to elaborate.
The discovery was the Cleveland area's latest high-profile case of missing women. Earlier this year, three women in an unrelated case were found and freed after being held captive in a home for years.
Mayor Gary Norton said the suspect indicated he might have been influenced by Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell, who was convicted in 2011 of murdering 11 women and sentenced to death. Sowell was arrested after a woman escaped from his house and said she had been raped. Police found the 11 women's mostly nude bodies in garbage bags and plastic sheets throughout the home.
Advertisement
Spotts said the suspect's comments hadn't provided clarity on whether more bodies might be found.
Advertisement
Sunday's search included 40 abandoned houses. Authorities want to be thorough, the mayor said.
Advertisement
The bodies were each in the fetal position, wrapped in several layers of trash bags, Norton said.
Advertisement
It wasn't immediately clear whether Madison had an attorney. No one commented at the address he registered.
Advertisement
"When I found out how old he was, I said, 'You need to move on, she's too young,'" Crosby said.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Man Arrested In UP Serial Killings Case Confesses To 6 Murders Serial Killer In UP? 9 Women Murdered In 13 Months, Strangled With Sarees How The "Vampire" Serial Killer Murdered 42 Women, Packed Them In Sacks Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Siddaramaiah's Swipe At Governor Amid Calls For Resignation: 10 Points Cops Probing Conspiracy Angle Into Kolkata Hospital Vandalism: 5 Points Top Institutes In India For Architecture And Planning Courses Passengers Can Now Rent Power Banks On NaMo Bharat Trains Assam Teacher Shows Porn To Girl Students, Protesters Set School On Fire Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.