Hammond police say they have a person of interest in custody in connection with the deaths of four women whose bodies were found over the weekend at various locations in Gary and Hammond.
The 43-year-old man from Gary, whose name is being withheld pending charges, led police to the bodies of three women in locations throughout Gary after he was taken into custody in connection with the Hammond death, Hammond Police Lt. Richard Hoyda said in an email.
The bodies were discovered after Hammond police were notified at about 9:30 p.m. Friday of a person who was found unresponsive at a Motel 6 in the 3800 block of 179th Street in Hammond, Hoyda said. That victim was identified Sunday as 19-year-old Afrika Hardy, whose address was unknown, according to the Lake County coroner’s office. The death was ruled a homicide caused by strangulation, the coroner’s office said.
Hammond police detectives then “developed a subsequent lead in that case that led them to seek a search warrant,” which was executed Saturday afternoon at a home on 49th Avenue in Gary, Hoyda said. The man and a vehicle were taken into custody, Hoyda said. The search warrant was executed at a location near the man’s home, Hoyda said.
An interrogation “led to the man making a confession and then leading detectives” to places in Gary where three other female bodies were located, Hoyda said. Hoyda would not say if the man had confessed to any of the possible murders.
Hammond and Gary police are still investigating, Hoyda said.
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The bodies of the three women in Gary were found late Saturday night and early Sunday morning in the 2200 block of Massachusetts Street, the 400 block of East 43rd Avenue and the 1800 block of East 19th Avenue, officials said.
The body found on East 43rd Avenue was identified by family as 35-year-old Anith Jones of Merrillville, the Lake County coroner’s office said Sunday. The cause of death was pending autopsy and the manner of death remained under investigation, the coroner’s office said.
The body discovered on Massachusetts Street was clothed in a pair of blue jeans and white Nike shoes, according to the coroner. The body on East 19th Avenue was wearing a green hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. The identities of both women were unknown and the cause of death in each case was pending investigation, the coroner’s office said in news releases.