Police Recall 'Frankford Slasher' In Search For 'Kensington Strangler'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As police search for the "Kensington Strangler" believed responsible for two murders and, as many as four sexual assaults, in recent weeks, police homicide files tell the story of yet another serial killer who brutally murdered eight women in the shadow of the Market Frankford El line along Frankford Avenue, not far from the scene of the latest violent attacks.
From 1985 through 1990, the serial killer known as the Frankford Slasher is suspected of killing eight women. In every case, police say, the women were stabbed and slashed, one 74 times, along with being sexually assaulted.
Police say the victims, whose bodies were found in apartments, under a car and in a train yard, frequented bars along Frankford Ave. The 'slasher,' posing as a counselor offering guidance and consolation, even renting an office in a nearby church, would befriend the women in bars. But after they left with him, they were never seen again.
Watch the video...
Detectives, who created a composite sketch of the killer, say they were about to close in on their prime suspect when he disappeared, moving to another state. The murders abruptly stopped and then, two years ago, police say they got word the prime suspect died.
Technically, the eight murder cases remain open and unsolved, and with the death of the prime suspect, many details of the brutal murders will remain forever a mystery.
While there is no link whatsoever to the current serial attacks, detectives do say the earlier cases show how important it is for the public to come forward with information.
Until they are caught, detectives say, serial killers rarely stop and, in fact, often escalate the level of violence directed toward their victims.
If you have any information about any of the cases linked to the "Kensington Strangler," please contact the Philadelphia Police Department immediately.
Reported By: Walt Hunter, CBS 3
