Serial killer on the loose in California: Police

Elusive murderer linked to 11 slayings over the last 23 years resurfaces

LOS ANGELES: Detectives are looking for a serial killer who they believe killed at least 11 people, many of them prostitutes, over a 23-year period. Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Charlie Beck said DNA evidence and ballistics tests have convinced detectives that the same killer is connected to the slayings in Los Angeles and Inglewood.

The victims were prostitutes or drug users who were sexually assaulted and then shot and dumped in alleyways or in Dumpsters, police said. “We have a lot of evidence, and the connection between so many cases of DNA will allow us to eventually solve this,” Beck said.

The most recent killing, in January 2007, was tied exclusively to DNA analysis to another case after 13 years. However, detectives have not been able to identify the killer through state or federal DNA databases of convicted felons.

According to Beck, authorities are still examining  more than 50,000 inmates in state prison for similar crimes, but not all of them have DNA profiles.

One theory investigators are exploring about the gaps between the killings is the possibility that the killer served time in prison. Authorities are scouring files of inmates who were in prison serving time during periods of the killer's apparent inactivity.