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killer suspected in 10 gay slayingsC.RKKNFIKLD, Ind. (AT) — Ten strangulation slayings involving Indianapolis men with links to the city’s gay community are almost too similar to be unrelated, investigators said Tuesday.But police stopped short of calling the slayings the work of a serial killer. The killings, involving men between the ages of 14 and 32, haveoccurred during the past 10 years.We re not saying there is one person doing it, but there are certain similarities that makes you consider.. that we are dealing with one suspect,” Hancock County Sheriff Nicholas (lulling said.Some may not be totally related, but they’re close enough that we’relooking at it.” .. -■ ' v..*The last of the victims was identified Tuesday by Darke County, Ohio, authorities as Thomas R Clevenger, 19, of Indianapolis. Clevenger’s nude body was found Sept. 12 in an abandoned railroad bed He had last been seen in Indianapolis Sept. 5, authorities said.Investigators said the nine previous victims had been strangled and many were found nude or partially clothed. Clevenger’s cause of death had not been determined.“The similarities are almost too much to be coincidence,” Gulling said. “In some cases there is definitely a connection, we feel.”Four of the victims have been found dead in Preble County, Ohio; one m Darke County, Ohio; three in Hamilton County, Ind.; and one each in Shelby and Hancock counties in Indiana.Gulling said Indiana and Ohio authorities planned to meet Friday to see whether the five bodies found in central Indiana between June 1980 and October 1987 can be linked to the four bodies found in western Ohio during the past five years.All the victims are from Indianapolis and had ties to the gay community.Preble County Chief Investigator Larry Swihart and Prosecutor’s Investigator David Lindloff have spent thousands of hours and have come to Indianapolis dozens of times in the past three years to probe the deaths.Authorities also referred the cases to the FBI, where behavioral scientists will try to build a psychological profile of the killer.Gulling said investigators were checking to see if there was a link between the victims and a gay prostitution ring that operated out of Indianapolis and was uncovered last spring.I don’t know that there’s any firm connection, but we’ll be checking the latest names with the list,” Gulling said, referring to a list of allegedparticipants in the ring. #Indiana State Police Det. Sgt. Jim Rhinebarger said police need assistance from the gay community, which has made it difficult to solve the crimes,Preble County Prosecutor Bill Dues, speaking Monday at the Preble County Courthouse, said investigators have been hindered by the closed nature of the gay community,“As we go in or attempt to go into the gay community and attempted to secure information, many (investigators) have some problems,” he said.Besides Clevenger, the victims are;Michael Petree, 15, found in June 1980 in a Hamilton County drainage ditch.Maurice Taylor, 23. found in July 1982 in Weasel Creek in HamiltonCountv.wDelvoyd Baker, 14, found in October 1982 in Hamilton County.• Michael Andrew Riley, 22, found in June 1989 in a Hancock County drainage ditch.• Brie Allen Roettger, 17, found in May 1985 in Preble County,• Michael Allen Glenn, 29, found in August 1980 in Preble County. James Robbins, 21, found in October 1987 in a Shelby County drainage ditch.• Steven L. Blliot, 26, found in August 1990 in Preble County,• Clay Russell Boatman, 32. found in August 1990 in Preble Countv.
Newspaper Details
Anderson Herald Bulletin
Anderson, Indiana, US
Wed, Sep 19, 1990
Page 28
Full Page
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USA 26 Sep 2019
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