DPD Chief Ralph Godbee announced yesterday a connection between two women found dead December 19 and two more discovered early Christmas morning. Three of the four women had posted personal profiles on a national website under the category of escort and adult dating services.
At 3:00 PM on December 19, cousins Ranesha Landers, 23, and Donesha Hunt, 24, were discovered in the trunk of Landers’ Chrysler 300, parked between two abandoned houses on Promenade near Chalmers.
Then, early Sunday morning, firefighters responding to a car fire in the 14900 block of Lannette found two more female bodies in the trunk of a 1997 Buick LeSabre. These women, ages 28 and 29, were burned beyond recognition, but have been tentatively identified based on missing person reports.
The two locations are mere blocks from each other on the city's east side.
What at first appeared to be a disturbing coincidence now has a nexus in the website www.backpage.com. The site is similar to the more familiar Craigslist. A user can select a city, then browse categories of goods and services.
The revelation that three of the four dead women had postings in the escort category was coupled with a warning from Chief Godbee.
Godbee cautioned that people advertising or using adult dating services on the internet should use appropriate precautions.
Police are not saying that all four homicides had a common perpetrator. “We’re stopping short of calling it a serial pattern,” Godbee said yesterday.
Police have not released the names of the women found on Sunday, since the identifications are tentative. Positive identification must await DNA testing or dental records.
Police do not yet know the exact cause of death in any of the four cases. The Medical Examiner has toxicology tests outstanding. Yet all four deaths are being investigated as homicides.
Police do not have any suspects.
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