Investigators release sketch of suspect in separate attacks

LAFAYETTE, La. -- Investigators searching for the serial killer of five Louisiana women released a sketch Friday of a possible suspect, a man who tried to rape one woman and approached two others last year.

"We think this is a significant development in this case," said Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mike Neu-strom.

The women in the three encounters, which occurred in June and July 2002, were not killed and officials said no conclusive evidence links the man to the serial killer.

However, police described him as a possible suspect in the killings based upon his behavior and other evidence they would not specify.

DNA evidence has linked the same person to the deaths of at least five women over the past year and a half: Gina Wilson Green, 41; Charlotte Murray Pace, 22; Pam Kinamore, 44; Carrie Lynn Yoder, 26, all of Baton Rouge; and Trineisha Dene Colomb, 23, of Lafayette.

Previously, police released a sketch of a white man they described as a "person of interest." They have not named that man, seen near the scene of one of the killings, a suspect.

The computer sketch released Friday depicts a light-skinned black man in his late 20s or early 30s.

In all three incidents, he asked for help in finding someone. In two of the incidents, he asked to borrow a phone and phone book. All three encounters happened during the day.

"It's very likely this offender has approached other women in their home," Neustrom said, adding those instances may have gone unreported because they seemed benign.

In the attack, he got into the woman's house and tried to rape her. DNA evidence from the attempted rape submitted to the state police crime lab was described as inconclusive. In the other incidents, including one in a grocery store parking lot, the women escaped without injury.

Police from several law enforcement agencies said the encounters were similar. They described the assailant as strikingly handsome, charming the victims until they relaxed and dropped their guard. He introduced himself in two of the cases as Anthony.

The three victims, whose names were not made public, were described as 35 to 45 years old. All were black. One of the serial killer's victims was black. The others were white.