Computer map led police to suspect

ST. LOUIS -- Blood-spattered sections of drywall, pieces of rope, women's wigs and women's underwear were seized from a basement room of a man being investigated in the slayings of several women in Missouri and Illinois, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday.

The man was being held for questioning in the deaths of 10 women believed to be victims of a serial killer preying on prostitutes. Investigators are awaiting tests on evidence taken from the man's home and two cars before seeking charges.

Investigators said a computer-generated map sent along with a letter to the Post-Dispatch several weeks ago led them to the man, who lives in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, the newspaper reported, citing sources it did not name.

The letter and map directed authorities to a body, which was found May 25 in a remote area of St. Charles County.

Investigators told the newspaper they believe the man downloaded a map that he used to pinpoint the location of the woman's skeletal remains from a popular computer Web site. Investigators subpoenaed the Web site's records during the time they thought the map was accessed.

The bodies of 10 black women have been found on both sides of the Mississippi River since April 2001. Six have been identified, all of whom reportedly were prostitutes with drug habits. Some of those women had been tied up with rope, and detectives theorized that they had been held captive before their bodies were dumped.

The identities of four of the women, including the one pinpointed by the letter, have not been determined. A woman believed to have been an 11th victim survived but has been unable to assist detectives because of her injuries.