Police: Serial-Killer Suspect Hints at More Victims Going Back 20 Years

As authorities seek more information regarding the grisly discovery of the bodies of seven Indiana women, all of which are suspected to be the work of a serial killer, the currently detained suspect has reportedly hinted that there could be even more victims, the Associated Press reports.

"It could go back as far as 20 years based on some statements we have, but that has yet to be corroborated," Hammond, Ind., police Chief John Doughty said.

According to the report, there is no indication that there were other killings in another state, and the homicides seem to be recent. However, suspect Darren Vann of Gary, Ind., is cooperating with the authorities, hoping to make a plea deal with prosecutors.

Vann, a convicted sex offender in Texas who was released in July 2013, was arrested in Hammond over the weekend and charged in the strangulation death of 19-year-old Afrikka Hardy. While in custody, the 43-year-old reportedly led police to the bodies of six more women. He is expected to be charged in those deaths later this week, AP notes.

According to the newswire, the Texas Department of Public Safety had said Vann was at a “low” risk level on its sex offender registry, and Vann had not registered his status in Indiana. He pleaded guilty to the 2007 rape of an Austin women and was sentenced in 2009 to five years in prison.

Other than Hardy, police have identified 35-year-old Anith Jones, 29-year-old Teaira Batey and 36-year-old Christine Williams as victims. The identities of the remaining three women have yet to be determined, according to AP.

Read more at the Associated Press.