The third victim in the Cleveland murders has been identified as 18-year old Shirellda Terry.
Terry–along with 28-year old Shetisha Sheeley and 38-year old Angela Deskins–was reportedly the victim of 35-year old Michael Madison, who may have modeled the murders after another Ohio serial killer, Anthony Sowell. The women were found in three separate places that weren’t far from one another; Terry was wrapped in plastic and hidden in the garage of an apartment building. All three were subjected to severe decomposition, making it difficult for authorities to identify them.
Terry’s was the first body to be found last Friday, after residents complained of a foul odor around the garage. The two other women were found the next day, and police say they fear there may be more bodies found. Madison is being held on $6 million bond under charges of three counts of aggravated murder and three counts of kidnapping.
Madison allegedly had a fascination with Sowell, who killed 11 women and hid their bodies in his Cleveland home in 2010.
“Unfortunately, this is a sick individual who appears to have been influenced by another sick individual. If he had been out for one more hour, there’s no telling what would have happened. Some things that led us to believe that in some way, shape, or form, Sowell might be an influence,” East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton said.
It’s not known yet whether Madison knew the women or how he targeted them, but he was a known drug dealer and at least one of the victims–Deskins–had been arrested for marijuana possession at one time.
