DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Monday that they believe the suspect in custody is connected to the three deaths of woman in Detroit over the past couple of months.
Deangelo Martin, 34, was arrested on Friday hours after police named him a person of interest in the potential serial killer and rapist case. Craig said Monday he was also suspected in two cases where victims survived.
Sources are telling 7 Action News that DNA evidence connects Martin to more than 3 victims in the case. However, it is not clear at this point if there are any additional victims, beyond the 5 cases Martin is a named suspect in.
Also Monday, Martin was charged in the alleged stabbing and sexual assault of a woman inside a house on Detroit's east side on May 7. The chief said they also just recently learned of a potential victim who survived on June 3, and said the crime happened in the same exact home where the third victim's body was found.
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Craig said they have been in the middle of the investigation which started several months ago, beginning with an incident on March 19 in the 20000 block of Coventry, where the female victim, identified as 52-year-old Nancy Harrison, was totally disrobed. Police say when she was first located, the cause of her death was originally thought to be a drug overdose. However, after further investigation, it was discovered that she suffered blunt force trauma. No further details have been released on her death.
The body of the second victim, Travesene Ellis, was found on May 24 on Linnhurst, between Gratiot and Chalmers on the city's east side.. No further details have been released on her death. She was reported missing on May 15. She was last seen on April 21 in the 13000 block of Linnhurst Street, where her body was later discovered.
Last week, a 52-year-old woman's decomposed naked body was foundinside a vacant home on Mack near Mt. Elliot. That's when Craig came forward to announce that there was a potential serial killer and rapist on the loose operating on the city's east side.
