Police from Anaheim, Placentia and Brea held a press conference Wednesday to warn the public about a "serial killer" who is targeting homeless individuals. Police announced that they have started a task force to investigate three recent homeless murders and asked community members to be vigilant.
As Los Alamitos Patch reports, the first stabbing occurred on Dec. 21 outside a shopping center in Placentia. James McGillivray, 53, was stabbed to death and, from surveillance video, the suspect appears to be a thin man wearing a black hoodie or jacket. The police released a blurry photo of the suspect from the surveillance video Wednesday and said they believe the suspect is in his young 20s and about 5 feet, 9 inches, as ABC reports in the video above.
Eight days after the first attack, on Dec. 28, a 42-year-old homeless man, Lloyd Middaugh, was found stabbed to death along a riverbed in Anaheim. Two days after that, on Dec. 30, Paulus Smit, a 57-year-old homeless man, was found, also stabbed to death, in a stairwell outside of a library in Yorba Linda.
As the Los Angeles Times reports, police handed out fliers Tuesday advising homeless individuals to stay in groups and keep a lookout. At the press conference today, the police warned, "We believe these murders are likely committed by same suspect, and we feel he's extremely dangerous to the public."
Anyone with any information about the suspect is encouraged to call the Anaheim Police Department at 714-765-1944.