Now, they want to know who the women are and what might have happened to them.
Detectives sought the public’s help on Thursday when they released images of about 160 women and asked anyone who recognised them to come forward.
“We certainly do not believe that we are so lucky, or so good, as to know all of his victims,” Police Chief Charlie Beck said. “We need the public’s help.”
Lonnie Franklin Jr has pleaded not guilty to the murders of 10 women from 1985 to 1988 and from 2002 to 2007. The apparent 14-year pause in the alleged crimes led to the nickname “Grim Sleeper”, though detectives suspect Franklin could be involved in other deaths.
The photos and videos were found at Franklin’s home and garage during a three-day search after his July arrest.
“Now that we know who he is and what type of activity he is involved in with women, we are very concerned for everyone in these photographs,” detective Dennis Kilcoyne said.
Police displayed the photographs for media and have made the images available online. In almost every photo, the subject is smiling at the camera. Some women could have been naked but it’s difficult to tell in the tightly cropped images. Others were photographed outside as part of a group photograph.
The women appear to be willing participants in what police said were sexually explicit images.
“It baffles me how he is so successful at getting women to do what he asks them to do,” Kilcoyne said. “It is not like we have pictures of him holding a knife to someone’s neck.”
Detectives said the photos span decades and were taken on 35 mm film, Polaroids and digital cameras. The women range from young teens to 60-somethings. Except for two or three white women and a Latina, all the women are black. Some appear to be asleep.
Several known victims of the serial killer were said to be prostitutes. Detectives would not say if any of the women photographed might have been involved in the sex trade.