Police originally went to convicted rapist and registered sex offender Anthony Sowell's home to serve a warrant for rape and felonious assault. They did not find Sowell but they did find two dead bodies. The next day, they found a third body in a freshly dug grave in the basement and the remains of two more people in an upper floor of the home. Sex crime investigators also dug up a shallow grave in the backyard of the home, revealing the remains of a sixth body.
The police immediately started an intensive manhunt for Sowell, now a suspected serial killer. Thankfully, a tip to police that said he was walking near a police station paid off. The police quickly located and arrested Sowell.
Sowell, 50, is a registered sex offender who served 15 years in an Ohio penitentiary for rape. He was released from prison in 2005. He reportedly lived in the house with his uncle and aunt but no one has seen the relatives in awhile. According to local news reports one neighbor described him as being crazy and that, "Sometimes he would just go off if he didn't have his way".
Police say two of the bodies were those of women. Neighbors who have missing friends or relatives are worrying if the bodies are those of loved ones. The county coroner's office will compare medical and personal records from locals who have gone missing to those of the bodies found.
The area of Cleveland where the bodies were discovered has been hit hard by a harsh economy, challenging employment possibilities, and high crime rates. This tragedy adds to the woes to an area that has been swimming upstream for quite a while.
Questions linger in this case. First, is Sowell the man responsible for the six bodies in the home? Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Second, if he turns out to be the one responsible should he have been released from prison? Should he have been monitored more closely after his release from incarceration?
Outrageous crimes occur much too often and similar questions are asked repeatedly. I suppose there are no cookie cutter answers as every case is a little different. However, what about the terror of the people who were most likely killed in that home. And how about the fear, anxiety, and desperation of the friends and relatives of those who have gone missing while they wait to hear about the identification of the bodies?
Moreover, what about the people who worry about the next crazy crime that may hit them, their parents, children or friends? All these folks deserve answers to these questions. We should never give up trying to find them.
Steve Kovacs is the author of Protect Yourself: The Simple Keys Women Need to be Safe and Secure. He is the host of the Internet Radio Talk Show, The Kovacs Perspective http://www.thekovacsperspective.com/ where he interviews experts in various fields, geared to help and inform.
Steve's background is in law enforcement, security, investigations and teaching. Contact Steve any time at:info@thekovacsperspective.com
Excellent writing, Steve, and I hadn't heard about this before either. I pray that they can find whoever did this so that the people in Cleveland can rest a little easier.
Thanks Mark--yes, sad is the word for the neighbors and society indeed. The horror the victims went through is sad indeed as well. Things like this just should not happen. I appreciate your comment.
From what I have read, one who commits sexual crimes cannot be cured, as a rule. Therefore, I don't think they should ever be let out of prison. we have to do something to protect our children and other innocent victims. I am so passionate about this. I watch Nancy Grace every night and it's the same story over and over again. When are we going to do something about these predators?
i think it simply boils down to the lack of prisons and room in existing prisons, to keep these sex offenders. as if that should be an excuse.
i'm all for science and growth, but just one of the shuttles would pay for more penitentiaries. i also think we forget what these acts do to society. people getting raped has got to be the worst thing-no control, which is horriffic, and being made to do what someone else wants you to do, and you don't want to do it! if they are not killed, these people, whether children, women, or men, have to live the rest of their lives with the thoughts of their assaults in the back, or front, of their minds, which can lead them to crime themselves.
oh, if we, the people, would just ACT like people.
You got to wonder why people like this guy are ever let out of prison. Why are his rights so much better than societies? Some bleeding heart lib gets he out and boom 10 people are now dead. Respond to this comment
It seems the system did not work here my friend. He was assessed and found to be: not apt to re offend sexually! Wow they got that one wrong. The body count is up to 10 now and they are looking to see if he could be the serial killer in another nearby community that was never caught. Changes are needed. Thanks for writing.
» left by Michael S. Garvin from Boca Raton (5 hours 4 minutes ago.) New Comment!
I think everybody is crazy in their own way. It is a matter of how we channel our lunacy. I try to channel mine constructively. I am fortunate that my audiences find my singing voice entertaining and my lunacy somewhat humorous. But there are those lunatics who are dangerous to society. Like many serial killers, they mask themselves with charm to lure a victim before they torture and kill the poor soul. As I have learned in my martial arts studies, beware of the charming stranger who could actually be a strangler.
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