EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — An Ohio man possibly influenced by a serial killer was charged Monday with aggravated murder after three bodies wrapped in trash bags were found in suburban Cleveland.
A call to police Friday led authorities to a home and a standoff with the man, who was eventually taken into custody, East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton said.
Michael Madison, 35, was charged with three counts each of aggravated murder and kidnapping. He did not enter a plea at a brief court appearance, where bail was set at $6 million. He also waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Police and volunteers scoured about 40 empty homes Sunday until their search was suspended, with no immediate plans to resume.
Authorities said they had identified only one of the victims, Angela Deskins, who was believed to be 38 years old. The other two bodies were too badly decomposed to identify. Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson said fingerprints, dental records, and DNA genetic material would be used to try to identify the other two victims.
Norton has said the suspect indicated he might have been influenced by the 2009 case of Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell, who was convicted in the deaths of 11 women.
The first body was found in a garage Friday. Two others were found Saturday — one in a backyard and the other in the basement of a vacant house. The bodies, all women, were found about 100 to 200 yards apart, and authorities say the victims were killed in the previous six to 10 days.