Aug 29, 2008 11:37 pm US/Pacific
Elusive South L.A. Serial Killer Resurfaces
LOS ANGELES
An elusive serial killer linked to 10 slayings in South Los Angeles and Inglewood over nearly two decades resurfaced early last year to kill again, Los Angeles police officials said in remarks reported Friday.
Long stretches of time between known killings and an often dormant investigation that spanned different generations of detectives left police unclear for years that a single man was behind the slayings, according to an LA Weekly report.
The latest slaying was tied conclusively to the others by DNA analysis in May 2007, according to the newspaper.
Except for one black man, the killer has targeted young black women who he sexually abused; detectives told the newspaper during their four-month investigation.
Most of the bodies were left in a corridor along Western Avenue in South Los Angeles, often in alleys, according to the newspaper.
Detectives suspect that most of the women were working as prostitutes at the time they were killed, LA Weekly reported.
Kilcoyne and his team have been working to breathe life into the investigation, retracing cold leads and collaborating with state officials on an exhaustive search of prison records, according to LA Weekly.
Detectives have begun examining nearly three dozen cases that bear similarities to the serial killers' gunshot slayings, LA Weekly reported.
The latest killing was reported this week by LA Weekly. One route the LAPD has not yet been able to try is comparing the serial killer's DNA with samples in the criminal database in search of one of his close relatives.
The "familial searches" -- decried by some as an invasion of privacy -- require the permission of the state attorney general, whose office has not said whether such a search would be approved.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
