http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/20/us/indiana-possible-serial-killer-suspect/index.html
(CNN) -- An Indiana man told police he "messed up" by killing a woman in Hammond, then came clean, leading them to several more bodies in nearby Gary, Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said Monday.
Doughty stopped short of calling Darren Deon Vann a suspected serial killer, but left the possibility open if police are able to connect the convicted sex offender to any of the six women found in Gary over the weekend.
"If we directly attach him to it, we can make that assumption," he said, adding that Vann's statements lead authorities to believe there are "possible other victims." Some cases may date back 20 years, based on what Vann has told police, the chief said.
Text messages would be Vann's undoing, Doughty said.
Vann, 43, ordered a prostitute through the backpage.com site serving Chicago and arranged a Friday meeting at a Motel 6 in Hammond with Afrikka Hardy, 19, the chief said.
The person who arranged the meeting, whom Doughty described only as "a facilitator," later texted Hardy and received "suspicious texts" she believed were from Vann, the chief said.
She and another person went the motel to check on Hardy, according to a probable cause affidavit. They found her body in a bathtub.
Using a phone number provided by the facilitator, police electronically tracked Vann down, the chief said. Vann told police he "messed up" and expressed surprise that he was found so quickly, Doughty said.
"He admitted his involvement in the Hammond incident" and began leading police to other bodies in Gary, Doughty said, adding that at this point, Vann is charged in only Hardy's death.
According to the affidavit, police found signs of a possible struggle in the motel room: a broken fingernail on the floor, a button from a shirt, and the beds moved away from the headboards.
A former boyfriend of Hardy remembered her as an terrific person and friend. Michael Moore said they had dated in high school and continued to keep in touch.
"She was a really loving person. She was very funny, very outgoing. She always was pretty lively," he said. "It's crazy because, I mean, she was really -- she was an amazing person."
Seven women total
told CNN affiliate WSBT that he believes the crimes occurred recently.
"Somebody had to come in there like last week or something, because (Northern Indiana Public Service Company) and the water company were there turning off the power and stuff, so there was no one in there," Justin Jones said.
Afrikka Hardy, 19, was the first woman found, on Friday, according to authorities.
Vann has a record
Anith Jones, 35, of Merrillville, was one of the victims, a mayor's spokeswoman says.
Darren Vann led authorities to several bodies in Indiana, police say.
The Indiana-born Vann is a convicted sex offender from Austin, Texas, police said. Records show was arrested on unspecified charges while living in Cherry Point, North Carolina, in 1993.
He was convicted of aggravated rape in 2009 from a 2007 case, the Austin Police Department said in a statement. After serving five years in jail, he left for Indiana in June 2013, police said.
Vann is not a registered sex offender in Austin.
The police department there said detectives would be conducting a review of potentially related cases, asking anyone with information to contact its missing person and homicide cold case units.
Vann also had a conviction in Lake County, Indiana, that was "not in the sex offender category," Mayor Freeman-Wilson said.
Court records show Vann was accused of breaking and entering and intimidation in 2004.
"He certainly was cooperative. He led (police) to the locations of these bodies. Whether he was eager or not, I'm not in a position to say that," she said.
Several police agencies are now working the case, which could grow larger and expand to at least one other state, the mayor said.
(CNN) -- An Indiana man told police he "messed up" by killing a woman in Hammond, then came clean, leading them to several more bodies in nearby Gary, Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said Monday.
Doughty stopped short of calling Darren Deon Vann a suspected serial killer, but left the possibility open if police are able to connect the convicted sex offender to any of the six women found in Gary over the weekend.
"If we directly attach him to it, we can make that assumption," he said, adding that Vann's statements lead authorities to believe there are "possible other victims." Some cases may date back 20 years, based on what Vann has told police, the chief said.
Text messages would be Vann's undoing, Doughty said.
Vann, 43, ordered a prostitute through the backpage.com site serving Chicago and arranged a Friday meeting at a Motel 6 in Hammond with Afrikka Hardy, 19, the chief said.
The person who arranged the meeting, whom Doughty described only as "a facilitator," later texted Hardy and received "suspicious texts" she believed were from Vann, the chief said.
She and another person went the motel to check on Hardy, according to a probable cause affidavit. They found her body in a bathtub.
Using a phone number provided by the facilitator, police electronically tracked Vann down, the chief said. Vann told police he "messed up" and expressed surprise that he was found so quickly, Doughty said.
"He admitted his involvement in the Hammond incident" and began leading police to other bodies in Gary, Doughty said, adding that at this point, Vann is charged in only Hardy's death.
According to the affidavit, police found signs of a possible struggle in the motel room: a broken fingernail on the floor, a button from a shirt, and the beds moved away from the headboards.
A former boyfriend of Hardy remembered her as an terrific person and friend. Michael Moore said they had dated in high school and continued to keep in touch.
"She was a really loving person. She was very funny, very outgoing. She always was pretty lively," he said. "It's crazy because, I mean, she was really -- she was an amazing person."
Seven women total
told CNN affiliate WSBT that he believes the crimes occurred recently.
"Somebody had to come in there like last week or something, because (Northern Indiana Public Service Company) and the water company were there turning off the power and stuff, so there was no one in there," Justin Jones said.
Afrikka Hardy, 19, was the first woman found, on Friday, according to authorities.
Vann has a record
Anith Jones, 35, of Merrillville, was one of the victims, a mayor's spokeswoman says.
Darren Vann led authorities to several bodies in Indiana, police say.
The Indiana-born Vann is a convicted sex offender from Austin, Texas, police said. Records show was arrested on unspecified charges while living in Cherry Point, North Carolina, in 1993.
He was convicted of aggravated rape in 2009 from a 2007 case, the Austin Police Department said in a statement. After serving five years in jail, he left for Indiana in June 2013, police said.
Vann is not a registered sex offender in Austin.
The police department there said detectives would be conducting a review of potentially related cases, asking anyone with information to contact its missing person and homicide cold case units.
Vann also had a conviction in Lake County, Indiana, that was "not in the sex offender category," Mayor Freeman-Wilson said.
Court records show Vann was accused of breaking and entering and intimidation in 2004.
"He certainly was cooperative. He led (police) to the locations of these bodies. Whether he was eager or not, I'm not in a position to say that," she said.
Several police agencies are now working the case, which could grow larger and expand to at least one other state, the mayor said.
as I'm sure it will be on the news in the USA and not a word here, though I'll be keeping my peepers peeled.
