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CNN Live Today

Fears Serial Killer on Loose in Baton Rouge Area

Aired August 19, 2002 - 12:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Students beginning class at Louisiana State University today are finding beefed-up security. There are fears that a serial killer is still on the loose in the Baton Rouge area.
CNN's Charles Molineaux tells us what it's like at the LSU campus.

Charles, I don't know, if I had a daughter going there, I am not sure I would let her go this semester.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely.

Think about it, Carol. It is tough enought that some of these parents are going to be saying that big goodbye to their kids for what may well be the very first time, and now they do it when getting news there is a killer on the loose. In fact, there are signs nailed to trees around campus that actually saying just that.

About 30,000 students-plus are coming to LSU this fall, and they are arriving on the news that the murders of three women in Baton Rogoue are the work of a serial killer. One victim was an LSU grad student, who just finished her program.

LSU police say this campus has been very secure, but they are tightening it up anyway with a student ID card system, and a new free cell phone emergency number. The school is upgrading lights in the campus and trimming the greenery to improve visibility, and campus cops are doing more foot and bike patrols. The cops have also been meeting with students to try to penetrate all the excitement about coming to college, meeting friends and partying with some common sense advice on staying safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK EMMERT, LSU CHANCELLOR: Well, you communicate with them, as early and often as you can. We have written to them. I have sent personal letters to students and persons communicating with them about the safety issues which are on campus, off campus, about how to take care of themselves and how to gain access to the resources that are available.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: And the message is very much getting through. You talk to pretty much anybody around here, and you get an acute feeling that, yes, the word is out, and self defense is a new urgent priority. In fact, the university's rape prevention program, that normally has a hard time filling two small classs in an ordinary semester, has thyree big classes completely booked up with a waiting list, and work is under way to start up new ones -- Carol.

LIN: And you say that three women were killed so far, and there have been reports to other kidnappings of women, is that right?

MOLINEAUX: Yes, the police are not sure if there is relationship between them, but there have been incidents in the area and obvioulsy the alertness is very much heightened. But there were four instances in the area that appear to be attempted kidnappings. A couple of them actually involve somebody picking a woman up in a parking lot and trying to carry her off until she fought him off or somebody spotted him and stopped him.

The cops are not sure if they are related to the serial killings, but that is certainly a possibility, and one that is of great concern to the police. They say that there is evidence that this serial killer, whoever he was, made mistakes. They do have DNA from all three murder scenes, so this is very much a mystery still. They're trying to figure it out. We talked to some parents who say they're confident that the cops are going ot catch this guy, but they've concerned about their kids and hoping they'll take common sense measures to protect themselves.

LIN: Travel in numbers. Charles Molineaux, reporting there.

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