Sex Offender Arrested After 6 Bodies Found

A convicted rapist has been arrested after police acting on a tip found six decomposing bodies in his Cleveland, Ohio home. Anthony E. Sowell tried to flee and initially denied his identity when authorities tried to arrest him.

Autopsies were performed on all six bodies, all were ruled victims of homicide.

Police found the first two bodies at the home last Thursday when they went there to arrest Sowell on new rape charges. Investigators said Sowell served 15 years in prison for a rape in 1989.

Checking for Missing Persons

On Friday, police found a third body at the house and then on Saturday they announced that they found remains that they believed were three more bodies.

All of the victims in Sowell's home were female. Two were black. At least four of them had been strangled to death, police said. The race of four of the victims has not yet been determined due to the advanced decomposition.

Cleveland police set up a command post in Sowell's inner-city neighborhood to begin taking missing-person reports on people who may be missing. Investigators began checking missing-person reports back through June 2005, when Sowell was released from prison on the rape charge.

See Also:
Coroner: 6 Bodies Found at Home; Ohioan Arrested
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^{Photo: Mug Shot}