CLEVELAND, Nov. 4, 2009
Finger-Pointing at Police in Ohio Murders
Kin of Possible Victim of Alleged Cleveland Serial Killer Say Cops Were Callous; Was Stench from Suspect's Home Ignored?
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This Nov. 1, 2009 photo provided by the Cleveland Police Department shows Anthony Sowell, 50, who Cleveland Police arrested, Oct. 31 on a rape and felonious assault warrant. (AP Photo/Cleveland Police)
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A Cuyahoga County coroner van leaves the home of Anthony Sowell (inset) on the east side of Cleveland, Oct. 30, 2009 carrying a victim discovered in the house. Police who went to a home looking for a rape suspect found decomposing bodies upstairs and what appeared to be a freshly dug grave in the basement. Police later arrested Sowell, a convicted sex offender, and say as many as six bodies may be at his house. (AP/John Kuntz, Plain Dealer; CPD)
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Tonia Carmicheal, possible victim of alleged Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell (CBS)
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Play CBS Video Video Family Hopes for Closure Harry Smith spoke with the daughter and mother of Tanya Carmichael who went missing a year ago near a home where bodies were recently discovered. The family hopes to finally know what happened to Tanya.
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Video Ohio House of Horrors Searched More bodily remains are found at at the Ohio home of a registered sex offender faces charges of rape, kidnapping and multiple murder, reports Randall Pinkston.
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Photo Essay Anthony Sowell: Home of Horror Ten badly decomposed bodies were found at the Cleveland home of convicted sex offender Anthony Sowell.
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Interactive Crime Beat Statistics and specifics on crime in America.
Police say they've found four more decomposing bodies -- and a skull -- at the home of convicted rapist Anthony Sowell, bringing to ten the number of bodies discovered there.
Authorities say they'll start knocking down walls in the house seeking more, as well as starting to look in nearby vacant homes in the low-income neighborhood, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston.
For months, says Pinkston, there were complaints about a foul smell in the neighborhood, but many residents thought the odor was from a sausage factory there.
Police were led to Sowell late last month when a woman came forward with allegations of rape.
Police: Body Count Hits Ten at Ohio Rapist's House
Crimesider: Home "Smelled Like a Dead Body" for Years
Crimesider: Identifying the Victims at Sowell's Home
PICTURES: Anthony Sowell's Home of Horror
Because Sowell was a registered sex offender, police would drop by his house to check on him, Pinkston explains.
But, officials insist, before last week, there was never any reason to suspect Sowell of murder. "At that address over the last three years," Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath told reporters, "including the call we just had on Oct. 20, there was only one other call to that address."
Relatives of missing women are watching anxiously, wondering if their loved ones are among the victims, Pinkston points out.
Among them, the daughter and mother of Tonia Carmichael, who vanished almost a year ago. Her car was found soon after, just blocks from Sowell's home. Carmichael, a heavy drug user, used to go to the neighborhood to buy drugs, her family tells CBS News.
Carmichael's daughter, Donnita Carmichael, and mother, Barbara Carmichael, complained about police conduct to "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith. Wednesday. They said just because Tonia was a drug user doesn't mean she wasn't a person, or that her disappearance deserved to go unanswered for the last year, as the family begged authorities for help finding her.
Now, police have asked for Tonia's dental records (to help them identify Tonia's body, if she is one of the victims) and, Donnita told Smith, that makes her "very concerned, and even almost for certain that she is, indeed, gonna come back as one of these victims from this heinous crime. It has been a year. And ironically, her one-year anniversary is on the 10th of this month, which is Tuesday. And by them asking us for the information that they asked for, it's a gut feeling that this is gonna be the end of it for this family.”
Smith read a statement from a woman who escaped from Sowell's house after, the woman says, Sowell started to try to choke her. The woman said Sowell remarked, "You're just another crack (blank) from the street. No one will know if you're missing."
Asked by Smith if she thinks "that's part of what happened here? Is it possible that people just didn't care about people like your mother?," Donnita replied, "I think it is very much possible. And, in fact, I think that is exactly the case. Not just my mother being missing, but all of the women that went missing from this area, I think they were stereotyped, I think, because they had a drug addiction, whether it was crack, alcohol, heroin, or whatever drug of their choice, or just having to fall on hard times and relying on the streets to be their home and their comfort. I believe he preyed on them. And I believe, from the time that we initially tried to report my mother missing in Cleveland, they did nothing as far as looking for her. So, yes, I indeed strongly believe that, not just my mother, but a lot of these cases out here with these women being missing, their age didn't make a difference, her being on the street, and living the lifestyle that she did very well made a difference in them not looking for her or for anybody else that was missing, for that matter."
Tonia's mother and Donnita's grandmother, Barbara, told Smith, "If she's (Tonia's) in there, I'd like for her to be identified, because it's agony not knowing what happened to her.
"What upset me so bad, when I went to the police to try to report her missing, the Fourth District would not take the report, because she lived in (a nearby police district), (even though) she disappeared right around the corner from them, we found the car there. We went to (the other police district) after she was gone three weeks. They belittled it. They made jokes, (such as) 'Oh, go home, she'll show up by Christmas, after the drugs are all gone.' And they wouldn't even take the report. I had to go back up and demand to see the officer in charge. That's the only way I got her reported missing."
Cleveland police have refused repeated requests from CBS News for a live interview.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press has withdrawn reports referring to Sowell as a "convicted rapist." The AP says that Sowell was only convicted of attempted rape, according to police.
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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- I think that the Cleveland Police Department failed miserably in the Anthony Sowell case, and the comment that Police Chief Michael McGrath made concerning the victims clearly shows the prevailing attitude of disregard towards the residents of the neighborhood in general. The fact that this situation was allowed to fester for so long is inexcusable. The whole force and its operation should come under intense scrutiny as a result. Anthony Sowell should not be allowed to live after all the lives he has so violently taken.
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- Ohio police are the worst. In Ohio we operate outside the realm of the constitution as the municipalities are funded not by the residents who live and vote in the city, but 2 percent of a worker's wages go to the "city of income". It means that all these municipal courts are frauds where judges take money from the counselors as they try cases before them, meanwhile these municipalities divorce themselves from the economic futures of their own residents. Instead of trying to create economic opportunities for their residents they sit idly by and participate in the abuse of their residents at the hands of the frauds that build the gleaming towers in their downtowns while their own residents fend for themselves while being opposed by corrupt courts, corrupt law enforcement and the like. In Pittsburg, where they honor the constitution as the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia they look after their residents economic needs as those that live and vote also fund their city, while Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton are nightmarish places to live, unless of course your job is some predatory coercive fraud like Banking, Insurance and Government.
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- 1. The police should have done more. They didn't because the missing women were drug users.
2. A drug user is still a human being. Apparently the cops don't think so and apparently some people posting on here don't think so either.
3. Addiction is a disease. They should not have experimented but they did and they got hooked. Everybody makes mistakes. So all of you people shut it about how this man was doing everyone a favor. I'm sure you wouldn't be saying that if a loved one of yours was one of those women. Maybe if drug users were treated as sick instead of criminals things would be better.
4. 15 years for rape is not enough. That's the MAIN problem here. 15 years?? REALLY?
5. Everyone has rights but if you're a convicted sex offender then I feel you just threw those rights out and damn straight the police should be able to enter your home. I think some laws need to change here. - Reply to this comment
- "Finger pointing at Police" -well duh! A terrible tragedy for the victims and their families.
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- Well...obviously this monster is the blame for the murdered women. However, he is indeed a sex offender and his parole/probabtion officer dropped the ball somewhere. I thought sex offenders homes were visited perodically by the parole/probabtion officer. Had the authorities investigated the neighbors complaints, surely they could have smelled the decomposing bodies. Law Officials are somewhat the blame for not discovering this monster sooner. The sausage company had extensive work down to their grease traps and gutters b/c they really thought they were to blame for the foul odor. The community did in fact complain. Its safe to assume since the neighborhood was a drug infested community the police simply did not care.
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- Good thing no one snitched on him!
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- On behalf of the authorities involved in monitoring this predator, someone will be held accountable for the error in judgment and lapse in common sense. As far as this being a black person who allegedly committed all of these crimes, good for the community as a whole to rid it of at least one rotten element. But low income communities should think of bettering themselves and their neighborhoods before pointing fingers at the police. If these people were so concerned about a foul stench, the majority of the area in question should have gone to the local police and demanded answers. But instead of showing pride and determination in the community, they just let problems and suspicions go by the way side. If the residents don't show any caring for community,what makes you think the local police will?? For some reason, majority of black neighborhoods suffer from the ills of laziness and lack of self respect for where they rest their heads.I wish blacks could show more pride and respect for themselves like the Great Malcolm X once tried to instill in the people. But guess what, his own race murdered him!! Maybe there is no hope for some blacks. It angers me being half black..This would have never happened in my community and I live in a diverse area, because the neighborhood has self respect and common sense.
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- yes the police get it right 99 out of 100 times. I think I will withhold judgement untill the rest of the story comes out.
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- Go ahead, keep blaming the police. I am 99% certain that the people in this neighborhood blame their drug addictions on "the man" as well. Murder is inexcusable, as is drug abuse. Stop with all the, "well I bet YOU smoke or drink, so you're not any better!" Please, grow up. I am not a strung out crack ***** wandering around a pathetic neighborhood looking for drugs, so yes, I am infinitely better than those people. I will judge them, if we can't judge people then we couldn't put this murderer in jail could we?
Lay off the police. If they wanted to, they could probably arrest everybody in that neighborhood, but then all you morons would be screaming racism, wouldn't you? The police wanna go home too, I have no problem with them letting that neighborhood rot from the inside out. Best bet? Don't be a crack *****, don't go into disgusting neighborhoods, and do something productive for society. Maybe these women would still be alive if they could follow those simple freaking rules. - Reply to this comment
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- This community is a grain of sand on the beach. It certainly doesn't represent the black community as a whole. It's just sad that the stereotype of ignorance and lack of self respect commonly lives in black neighborhoods. Otherwise, I think these disgusting acts of violence could have been stopped much earlier if the people living in the area were cognoscente of their surroundings and environment. Or even if they cared..
- People had reported what smelled like dead bodies before and it was written off as a nearby sausage factory? Come on... that is lame... not to mention possibly detrimental to sales of saugage made in Cleveland. People were known to be missing, here is a registered sex offender who supposedly was checked up on periodically, the smell of dead people had been reported? Something's rotten in Cleveland.
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- It is unconscionable that the police don't follow the doings of convicts, parolees, and probationers more closely. ESPECIALLY when reports are made about them. While Sowell is an entirely different sort of monster than Phillip Garrido, we see the same conduct by the police. When someone complained, they did a checkup, without actually INVESTIGATING!! Where, oh where, did the idea that CONVICTS have RIGHTS come from? A predator waives all his rights when he takes his first victim. The rights being violated here are the rights of members of the community! It matters little that any or all of these women may have been drug addicts, prostitutes, thieves, or whatever accusations people wish to throw at them. SOWELL is, and was, a known predator. He didnt care to much that some woman was a crack ho - he wanted females. It could have been anyone's mother, sister, daughter - any female would have fit his needs.
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- This demonstrates why sex offenders should never be set free; The Code of Hammurabi seems most applicable for such heinous offenders.
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- I'm not sure that I completely agree with you. Not all "sex offenders" are equal. An 18 year old boy convicted of having consensual sex with his 17 year old girlfriend, for instance, is a miscarriage of justice - but he is still a "sex offender" in the eyes of the law. However - predators like this aren't punished severely enough the first time they are caught, and they should never have the chance to take a second victim.
- I find it hard to believe that 10 or possibly more people can go missing anywhere in a few years and this doesnt get any coverage until after the bodies are found in this sicko's house. Is this business as usual in Cleveland? Even though its in a low income area there is still a community werent they up in arms about the string of missing girls? I only read here about one family?
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- Everything is NOT about race!! Life is good, bad & ugly...no matter who you are or where you were raised or "what your mother taught you" some people will have addctions: drugs, sex, gambling, shopping, smoking...what's yours?? But society does tend to ignore people they consider "losers" Thank God this family cared about their missing famly member unconditionally!! If we would all take the time to help someone in need instead of judging like "our" lives are so perfect. My prayer is for these families to find closure & that this man will never be able to hurt anyone again.
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- I agree with you 4real4right, but in missing person cases, missing minorities often go ignored by major media which hampers cases. Numerous studies have been conducted on this and support it as fact. The missing woman was last seen near the home of a registered sex offender. That in and of itself should have been sufficient to question and search his home. In the horrendous case of the missing & later found dead FL girl last month, every registered sex offender within a certain radius of the missing girl's home was questioned. Why not here? Police dropped the ball.
- This is the smallest group of heartless, soulless responders I have ever encountered. To state that Anthony Sowell did the government a favor, sheds light on the huge crap stain on your heart. Would this have won over your hearts if he had targeted rural/appalachian meth areas????
The neighbors have lived in terror as this man has been allowed to terrorize them with no interruption from the police. How in the hell does a convicted rapist kill 10 plus people in four years while housing them in his house/ground in your district???? Now if Anthony was shot by one of his victims - she would have been sent upstate . . . Yeah - 'McGrafie' is doing a hell of a job!
Man the hell up - saying the neighbors are whining, should stop blaming everyone else, blah blah is simply shirking the responsibilities of the boys in blue to protect and serve the community - regardless of the womens recreational activity. - Reply to this comment
- Weren't these people ever reported missing?I smell more than dead bodies here!!
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- Wow, these comments simply prove the point the possible victim's family is trying to make. Obviously the fault lies with the crazy guy that did this but the lack of police action possibly made this case worse than it had to be. So often you here the cops saying people don't tell them when they suspect something's wrong in their neighborhood. According to various reports, the neighbors omplained for YEARS about the foul stench coming from the area. Moreover, the family of the missing have appealed to authorities to look their love ones. Maybe the cops didn't willingly allow a killer to lurk the streets but some solid police work could have prevented this guy from killing so many. It's sad that it's easy for so many to dismiss the life of a drug user, but imagine if a killer like this lurked in your neighborhood preying on the weaker residents. You would be losing your minds with anger once you found out the cops had not caught on to his rapid killing for YEARS, even with the smell of death all in the air. Come on people, you can't tell me you wouldn't be furious at the police if this happened in your backyard.
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- How many more serial killers at present still going undetected?
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- He saved us grief? because he kills drug users? Now that is some twisted freakin' logic.
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- They should have sent Cindy Anthony... she knows what a "damned dead body" smells like...
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