The search for more victims resumes at the Imperial Avenue home where 11 decomposing bodies were discovered. Meanwhile, a total of three of the victims have been positively identified.
Thursday afternoon, Cleveland police identified the third victim as 31-year old Tishana Culver. Culver had an address just a few doors down from the home of the suspected killer, Anthony Sowell. Culver’s mother, Yvonne Williams-McNeill tells Fox 8 that she had not reported her daughter as missing because she thought she was living with her boyfriend in Akron. She had not heard from Tishana since last year.
Fox 8 caught up with Williams-McNeill as she was leaving to inform Tishana’s four children about their mother’s death. Her children are between the ages of 2 and 16.
Earlier Thursday, Cleveland police identified the second victim as 31-year old Telacia Fortson. Fortson’s family says she was a mother of three children ages 2, 4, and 6. Her family says she had a history of drug abuse, but was receiving help from a church in the Imperial Avenue area. They say she was last seen being dropped off at Anthony Sowell’s home.
Wednesday, the first victim was identified as 52-year old Tonia Carmichael. She is a mother of three.
Cleveland police take another look inside Anthony Sowell’s so-called “House of Horrors” on Imperial Avenue.
“I don’t know if we’re gonna find more bodies, but we didn’t think we’d find more in the yard, so it’s an investigation thing, but we don’t expect that there are more bodies in the house,” said Edward Tomba, Deputy Chief of Special Operations.
Homicide detectives, a team from the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office, firefighters and housing inspectors looked for evidence and possibly more bodies. They searched for about three hours before leaving the home just before 7:00 p.m.
“Right now it’s just gonna be…digital photography in a 360 degree fashion of the scene and then we’re gonna go through the house and take people from building and housing in along with the dog and along with people from the coroner’s office and if we see any reason why we should take down a floor, take down a wall, then that’s what we’re gonna do,” said Tomba.
One week after the decomposed remains of 11 African-American were found in around the home, people in the neighborhood continue to hold vigil on the street in honor of the victims.
“When I look at this board it makes me sick to my stomach, but to see alot of people in the community coming together when they find 11 bodies, you know what I’m saying, people are in grief around here, it’s real bad,” said resident Eric Jones.
Tomba says Sowell’s home will remain a crime scene for weeks to come and he says police may need to search the home several more times.
