Houston police stymied by possible serial killer

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Frustrating case for police
One theory is that the killer or killers may be from Acres Homes or familiar enough with the neighborhood to know remote spots where a body can be discarded. Originally, investigators thought that the dumping of the bodies near churches was meaningful — perhaps a message from a killer on a crusade to clean up the city — but now they are not sure.

Police have questioned other neighborhood prostitutes, hoping that one of them might remember something useful. Many told of sexual assaults or frightening encounters, but never reported them and couldn’t identify the customer, Walker said.

Ten officers worked full-time on the case at one point, but that has dwindled to three.

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“You have no idea how frustrating this whole case is. We get some leads that we think are good, then have to eliminate them,” Walker said.

Police: More than one killer possible
Acres Homes is a black community just minutes from the skyscrapers of downtown Houston. Horses are still a common sight on the roads, and modest shotgun houses and dilapidated shacks sit across the street from newly built luxury homes shuttered behind iron gates. It is a place where families go back generations and neighbors still know each other. But it also has pockets of drug use and prostitution.

The body of the most recent victim, Jones, was found in a drainage ditch Sept. 22. She was last seen alive at the Bluemagic Lounge, a ramshackle beer joint.

“I’m just scared. I’m afraid. I was born and raised here and we never had problems like this before. We could sleep with our windows open,” said Daphene Tyler, 42, whose family has operated the Bluemagic Lounge for 62 years.

Investigators believe at least two of the women were killed by the same person, but say that more than one killer may be at work.

The first victim, Clark, was found amid trees near New Macedonia Church in January 2006. Two more victims were discovered near the Pine Grove Church of God. A fourth woman was discovered along a dirt road — dubbed Jesus Street on a makeshift sign — that leads to a church-owned piece of land.

“We’re asking people to concentrate on the victims. Do you know what happened to these women? These were people. They have families. They have mothers. They have sisters. They have children,” Walker said. “Yes, they may have been prostitutes, but they didn’t deserve to die or have done what was done to them.”