THE GRIM SLEEPER

The name sounds like the villain from a comic book or the name of an old dime store novel or even the name of an old time radio show. But unfortunately the person is real and he’s probably alive and well in the 21st century.

This is the name given the serial killer that has been killing African American women in Los Angeles for 25 years. His victim count is now up to 12.

In 1988 one woman was lucky to get away and give a full description to the police along with a description of his car, a Pinto. Unfortunately the sketch was just widely released to the public last year along with a 911 call from 1987. The caller described seeing someone take a dead body out of a van and dump it in an alley. He even gave the license plate number.

The police rushed to the scene, found the body and the van. The engine was still warm. The van belonged to a church. Police questioned some of the church goers right then and there during their church service but came up with nothing.

After about 13 years the killing stopped but then in 2007 the body of a 25 year old female was found and the killer’s DNA matched the other victims. The discovery didn’t cause much of a stir. The only media attention this case has ever gotten is through a free local newspaper. They have been tracking this case from the very beginning. America’s Most Wanted finally did a story about the case in 2008, 25 years after the first killing occurred.

All we know is that the killer is described as a clean cut African American male. No one knows his age. Some say he could now be in this 40’s maybe 50’s maybe 60’s, etc.

So many questions without any answers. Some people feel this story never got much coverage because the murders had occurred during the “crack epidemic” and the cops were just too overwhelmed.

But the police had a physical description, ballistics tests matched, DNA matched, 911 call, license plate number, etc. Some police departments would have loved to have had this much information.

Any witnesses are probably long gone. They have either left Los Angeles or were victims of the crack epidemic. The church, who owned the van disbanded years ago and their members are spread out across the United States. The church itself has since been demolished. Was the killer a member of the church? A visitor? How did the killer get the key to the van? There was no sign of forced entry. Was the 911 called the killer? Possibly.

So many years have passed, DNA scattered in the wind. So many flowers lay on tombstones and so many tears shed. Have I ever met the Grim Sleeper and didn’t even know it ?

If the Green River Killer could be found after 20 years maybe there’s hope? If you have information please contact the LAPD.

Lisa