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Investigators Hunting Down Serial Killer in Baton Rogue

Aired August 01, 2002 - 14:43   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Authorities in Louisiana say there is proof positive that one man is responsible for the murders of three women. They say he may have killed others, and worry that he may strike again.
CNN's Ed Lavandera bring us now the latest now from Baton Rouge -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, what investigators here in Baton Rogue are doing is going through some of the unsolved murders of women that have happened here in last couple of years, comparing notes on those cases to see if the details from those unsolved murder cases involving women might be similar to the three cases that have been confirmed that are related and connected to what they now call a serial killer that has killed three women here in Baton Rogue in the last 10 months. They're going through that.

One of the other tips they're looking for at this point as well is the information that the only witness that has come forward at this point, who perhaps might have seen the person who was involved in the third murder, of Pam Kinamore, the witness telling police that he saw a white pick-up driving off the interstate with what appeared to be the body of a female slouched over in the passenger seat.

So investigators here running searches on white pick-up trucks and seeing what kind of information that might pop up for them as well. But investigators here admit that the information they have so far is very limited, and they are hoping that a hot line has been set up will help people remember what might have happened. If they have any information that might help investigators out at this point.

Family members, we understand, are trying to speed that process along as well. Family members of the victims -- of the three victims -- confirmed victims of the serial killer -- are comparing notes, comparing the lives of the three relatives. What we are told from police is they have no connection -- no known connection or obvious connection -- between the three victims, other than they might have been killed by the same person. But family members of Pam Kinamore are offering a $75,000 reward for anyone who might have information leading to the arrest and conviction of this serial killer.

So family members taking the offensive here as well. But investigators are hopeful that the more of the DNA evidence and forensic testing they are doing at the crime scenes will be able to provide more information here in the coming days and weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CPL. DON KELLY, BATON ROUGE POLICE: So we were fortunate enough from an investigative standpoint in these three cases to have DNA that was matched to the suspect. And in all three cases it appeared to be identical, based upon the lab results.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you are also taking that testing a step further, into other unsolved murders, as well?

KELLY: It is very reasonable to assume that we are going to test every piece of DNA we have got on every unsolved homicide recently that we think could possibly be related and also that we are taking samples from anyone that we think potentially could be suspect and trying to compare those samples as well to what's been found at crime scenes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: The little information that investigators have is that this they believe this culprit is a white male from with a thin to medium build between the ages of 20 and 40. But as one of the investigators spoke with said, that's just an enormous amounts of people that you are describing with those very simple facts. So it is very limited information, but they do want to get that out there.

There is also a public meeting that will be held near the Louisiana State University campus. That's significant because the first two murders occurred near that campus. So there's a public meeting there. People -- officers will be going out there, telling people what they should do to protect themselves. Kyra, as you might imagine, an enormous amount of fear and anxiety here among many residents, and police are urging residents that if someone comes to your door, knocks on it, to be very vigilant and to be very challenging of who person says they are or who they say they are, to be careful of who you open your door to, because in all three cases, there were no signs of forced entry into the homes, which lead police to believe that either the culprit entered through an unlocked door or gained the confidence the person opening the door and that's how they made their way into the house.

PHILLIPS: All right, women on guard in Louisiana, there in Baton Rogue.

Ed Lavandera, thank you.

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