Slayings of women may go back 20 years
hammond , I nd . • Police investigating the slayings of seven women whose bodies were found over the weekend said Monday it could be the work of a serial killer and that the suspect has told them his victims might go back 20 years.
Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said at a news conference that the suspect was 43-year-old Darren Vann of nearby Gary, Ind., who pleaded guilty to a Texas sexual assault in 2009 and was released from prison in July 2013. His confession to the slaying of one woman in Indiana led police to the grisly discovery of six other bodies, including three on the same block, authorities said.
He said the Gary slayings appear to have happened recently, though Mr. Vann indicated there could be earlier victims.
He said police were not actively looking for more bodies and had no indication that any murders occurred in another state.
He said Mr. Vann was co-operating with investigators in the hope of making a deal with prosecutors.
“It could go back as far as 20 years, based on some statements we have, but that has yet to be corroborated,” Chief Doughty said.
Charges were expected to be filed later in the death of 19-year-old Afrikka Hardy, whose body was found about 9:30 p.m. Friday at a motel, Chief Doughty said. The Lake County coroner’s office said she was strangled.
Chief Doughty said she was involved in prostitution and had arranged to meet Mr. Vann at the motel through a Chicago-area website.
Police were called by someone who attempted to reach Ms. Hardy and “was provided suspicious text responses that she believed to be from the suspect while he was still inside the motel room.”
The discoveries began after Mr. Vann allegedly confessed to killing Ms. Hardy, then told investigators where more bodies could be found in abandoned homes in Gary.