Two More Grim Sleeper Cases Revealed

Los Angeles - Detectives are investigating two more slayings that may have been the work of suspected Grim Sleeper serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr., it was reported today.

Police disclosed the new information Wednesday night at a meeting with about 100 residents at Bethel AME Church, a few blocks from the South Los Angeles home where Franklin was arrested in July.

Detectives acknowledged investigations of the two killings were under way, in response to a question from a relative of a victim in one of the two new cases, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The meeting at Bethel AME Church, in the 7900 block of Western Avenue, was organized by Councilman Bernard C. Parks, who represents the area.

"It's important for the Police Department to stay connected to the community," Detective Dennis Kilcoyne, of the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division, told The Times.

Franklin, 57, is charged with 10 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, a crime spree that spanned three decades in South Los Angeles.

Before Franklin's arrest, detectives dubbed the suspected serial killer "the Grim Sleeper." They copied the moniker from reporting by the LA Weekly, which noted a gap of several years between similar killings in South L.A.

Franklin has pleaded not guilty.

The LAPD has released about 180 photos of women whose pictures were found on Franklin's property. As a result of the photos, 72 women have been identified and ruled out as victims, according to The Times.

Calls and tips from the photos also led police to develop four new missing-person cases, according to the LAPD.

Detectives still have to identify about 62 women depicted in the photos, Kilcoyne said.