The suspect, Neal Falls, 45, was killed on July 18 in Charleston,
West Virginia, when he threatened the prostitute's life with a 9mm
pistol. The woman, called "Heather" by police, seized the weapon
during a struggle and shot him.
Lieutenant Steve Cooper of the Charleston police told CNN that
officers found a "kill kit" in Falls' car that included a machete, a
sledgehammer, an axe, a shovel, bleach and trash bags. He also had
four sets of handcuffs.
"That's a pretty sinister combination," he said.
Charleston police have been in contact with authorities in Illinois
and Nevada to see if Falls may have been involved in the
disappearance of four Las Vegas-area prostitutes between 2003 and
2006.
Police in Henderson, Nevada, are looking for a connection between
Falls and Lindsay Harris, 21, who went missing in May 2005, police
spokeswoman Michelle French said.
Her legs were found in a field near Springfield, Illinois. The
remains were not identified through DNA tests as Harris' until 2008.
Master Sergeant Matt Boerwinkle, a spokesman for the Illinois State
Police, said the agency was checking for links between Falls and the
Harris case.
CBS News reported Falls had lived in Las Vegas for eight years and
had worked at nearby Hoover Dam.
Las Vegas police are seeking a connection between Falls and the 2003
homicide of a second woman, Misty Saens, 25, said spokesman Officer
Michael Rodriguez.
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The Las Vegas Review-Gazette newspaper reported that in 2008 police
had said that Harris' murder appeared to be linked to the cases of
two other area women who had been killed and a third who was
missing.
Like Harris, Jodi Brewer, 19, and Saens were found dead near
highways. The fourth, Jessica Foster, 21, has never been found, the
newspaper said.
Falls' driver's license showed a Springfield, Oregon, address, and
Springfield police spokesman Sergeant Rich Charboneau said he had
minor contacts with police there and in neighboring Eugene from 2010
to February 2015. They included a complaint against him of a dog at
large, he said.
CNN said Falls had met Heather after connecting with her online
through Backpage.com. Cooper said Heather had suffered a broken
vertebra, separated shoulder and mental trauma from the attack.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler and
Lisa Lambert)
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