I-65 killer - live: New photo of Harry Edward Greenwell released as victim’s daughter reacts to breakthrough
The killer stalked a major highway running through Indiana and Kentucky
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Police in Indiana discovered the identity of a serial killer who stalked the state’s highways 30 years ago searching for victims.
Officials with the Indiana State Police as well as the FBI and the Elizabethtown, Kentucky police department held a press conference Tuesday at 11am to identify the “I-65 Killer,” who was also called the “Days Inn Killer.” Representatives of the agencies named Harry Edward Greenwell to be the killer, claiming they used “investigative genealogy” to confirm the man’s identity.
The daughter of Jeanne Gilbert, one of the victims, spoke during the press conference about her mother and her hopes that those affected have found some justice. Police also released a photo of the killer from a previous, unrelated crime.
The killer was active in 1987 and 198 in Indiana and Kentucky, during which time he raped and killed three women at motels along Interstate 65. Similar crimes occurred in Minnesota and Illinois but have not been officially linked to the I-65 Killer.
All of the women who were attacked worked as clerks in those hotels.
In 1990 a woman working at a Days Inn in Columbus, Indiana was sexually assaulted and stabbed, but she managed to escape her attacker. She provided police with details of her attacker, describing him as about 6 feet tall with greasy, grey hair and a beard spotted with grey flecks. She claimed he had been wearing a flannel shirt, blue jeans, and that he had lime green eyes.
The FBI has been searching for the killer since his spree in the late 80’s.
Serial killer may be linked to other crimes
Police said Tuesday that Harry Edward Greenwell, the I-65 Killer, may be linked to a number of other crimes in addition to the three murders he committed in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Law enforcement said there were other murders, assaults and robberies they are investigating to determine if Mr Greenwell was involved.
One of those cases includes another assault and attempted murder of a hotel worker in Rochester, Minnesota.
According to police, Mr Greenwell also reportedly managed to escape from prison more than once during his life.
I-65 Killer died of cancer
The I-65 Killer, who law enforcement has identified as Harry Edward Greenwell, was born in Kentucky, where he later killed motel worker Vicki Heath in 1987. Law enforcement officials said Mr Greenwell eventually died of cancer in Iowa, citing his death records.
He died in 2013 at 68-years-old.
The identity of the I-65 Killer is revealed
The Independent’s Sheila Flynn dives into the FBI and law enforcement’s announcement naming the I-65 Killer more than 30 years after he raped and killed three women.
Read more in her story below...
I-65 serial killer revealed decades after murder and rape spree using DNA technology
The I-65, or Days Inn Killer, is believed to have raped and murdered at least three women in the 1980s
I-65 Killer named by FBI, police
Law enforcement officials from the FBI, the Indiana State Police and Edwardsville Police Department revealed the name of the I-65 Killer during a press conference on Tuesday.
The killer was reportedly a man named Harry Edward Greenwell.
Police said they used “investigative genealogy” to identify the man.
Watch the FBI press conference here
Tune in to the FBI press conference as it happens.
Who is the I-65 Killer?
The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad dives into the specifics of the I-65 Killer, including accounts of his description and his crimes in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Read more at the link below...
Who is the I-65 serial killer?
Mystery murderer raped and shot three female motel clerks between Indiana and Kentucky in late 1980s
The surviviors
At least two women are believed to have survived attacks from the I-65 Killer.
One of the women worked as a hotel clerk in Columbus, Indiana. She was sexually assaulted and stabbed on 2 January, 1990, but managed to escape her attacker. She provided police with her recollection of the man, describing him as having had greasy hair and lime green eyes.
Another woman survived a similar attack in Rochester, Minnesota. She also spoke with police and provided a description of the killer similar to the one provided in Indiana. DNA evidence was eventually used to link the attack to the rest of the I-65 Killers rapes and murders, though it was notably for being the only one to occur on I-90 rather than I-65.
The victims
The I-65 Killer is linked to three murders. The women he killed were all clerks at motels. Jeanne Gilbert’s body was found on 3 March, 1989 near Remington, Indiana. Mary “Peggy” Gill was found the same day in Merrillville, Indiana. Both were workers at Days Inn motels.
Vicki Heath’s body was found on 21 February, 1987, in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where she also worked at a motel. Similar crimes have occurred elsewhere in Kentucky, Minnesota, and Illinois, but have not been officially tied to the killer.
Welcome to the live blog
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of developments in the case of the I-65 Killer.
Stay with us for continuous coverage as law enforcement announces a potential break in the serial killer case today at 11am.