Phoenix cops hunting *** serial killer

Phoenix cops hunting serial predator

By Terry Tang
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX ? Phoenix police believe a serial predator previously linked to
a series of rapes and killings claimed a fifth homicide victim Thursday
night.
Detectives said preliminary findings indicate the abduction and killing
of a 37-year-old woman is the 19th incident in a violent crime spree,
ranging from robberies to rapes to homicides, that began last August.
"There is physical evidence," Det. David Barnes said Friday. "It has not
been confirmed 100 percent. But we are treating it as though it's
connected."
Barnes refused to elaborate on the evidence or how Carmen Miranda, a
mother of two, was killed.
According to police, Miranda went to a central Phoenix car wash alone at
about 9:30 p.m. Surveillance video showed that she was attacked from
behind and then abducted "in a matter of seconds."
When her family was unable to locate her, police were called to the
scene. Miranda's body and her car were discovered behind a coffee shop.
Authorities said the video footage did not allow for a clear
identification of the suspect. So far, a composite sketch based on
witnesses from previous incidents describes the perpetrator as a black
male, 5 feet 7 inches and between 170 to 200 pounds.
Investigators are still looking into whether she was sexually assaulted.
Police previously linked 18 violent crimes to the same assailant,
including four murders, seven sexual assaults and seven robberies from
Aug. 6 through May 1.
The sexual assaults may be the work of a sexual predator police dubbed
the "Baseline Rapist" last year because of attacks that first were
reported near Baseline Road in south Phoenix.
Two other recent homicides that may be linked occurred on March 15 with
the shooting deaths of Chao "George" Chou, 23, and Liliana
Sanchez-Cabrera, 20. Both victims worked at the same Japanese restaurant
in Phoenix. Their bodies were discovered a mile apart.

http://www.azstarnet.com/news/136091


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