A manhunt has been launched into a suspected serial killer who shot dead five men in California in the past three months.
The bodies of five men aged 21 to 54 – four of whom were Hispanic – have been found in Stockton since July – and police have now said they have made a connection.
The five victims were identified as Paul Alexander Yaw, 35, Salvador William Dubedy Jr., 43, Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, Juan Cruz, 52, and Lorenzo Lopez, 54.
They were found dead alone and in the early hours of the morning, and all of the killings took place in dimly lit environments.
Some of the victims were homeless at the time of their deaths.
On Friday, the Stockton Police Department released an unclear image of a suspect, saying the information was limited and that the suspect could be a man or a woman.
Police have said only that “physical evidence” links the five murders.
A picture of the suspect released by the Stockton Police Department. Chief McFadden said in a news conference on Friday that they could be “either male or female” based on the picture.
Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Friday the department needed help from the public to unearth new information after ruling out gang violence and robbery.
Information leading to an arrest is now rewarded with $85,000, with $75,000 from the City of Stockton and an additional $10,000 from Stockton Crime Stoppers. The Stockton Police Department said misinformation was being circulated.
Stockton police told ABC News that all of the victims were ambushed and that none of the attacks were drug or gang related.
Paul Alexander Yaw was the first to be killed on July 8, his family has confirmed. After being shot in the early hours of the morning, he was taken to hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Yaw was the only one of the five victims who was not Hispanic.
Lorenzo Lopez, 54, was one of the older victims. He was found at 4400 Manchester Avenue. Paul Alexander Yaw was the first to be killed on July 8, his family has confirmed. After being shot in the early hours of the morning, he was taken to hospital but succumbed to his injuries
Salvador William Dubedy Jr., 43, was a Stockton native and father. He died at the spot where he was shot, five minutes after Yaw’s shooting, after police tried to save him
His mother Greta Bogrow said in a statement: “He was my son, father, grandson, nephew, cousin and brother and loved by many. He left a huge hole in our hearts and I hope they catch the person(s) responsible before this happens again.”
Bogrow said Yaw was homeless when he died.
Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, was found dead in a car on East Hammer Lane on Aug. 11, the San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office said.
Lorenzo Lopez, 54, was one of the older victims. His brother Jerry Lopez said: “It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that this has happened. I mean, my brother and I were like twins. We were a part for a year so we were pretty close.’
He hopes the new $85,000 reward will unearth evidence that will help apprehend his brother’s killer.
Stockton cops hunt a ‘serial killer’ in five murders in THREE MONTHS.
July 8 at 12:31 am
Paul Alexander Yaw, 35, white
5600 Kermit Lane
Aug 11 at 9:49 am
Salvador William Dubedy Jr., 43, Hispanic
4900 West Street
Aug 30 at 6:41 am
Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, Spanish
800 E.Hammer Lane
Sept. 21 at 4:27 a.m
Juan Cruz, 52, Hispanic
4400 Manchester Avenue.
Sept. 27 at 1:53 p.m
Lorenzo Lopez, 54, Spaniard
900 Porter Ave.
“They’re working hard on it. I see the boss is doing a great job. He works really hard for the city trying to figure out what’s going on,” Lopez told KCRA 3. “I appreciate you, Chief.”
Salvador William Dubedy Jr., 43, was a Stockton native and father. He died at the spot where he was shot, five minutes after Yaw’s shooting, after police tried to save him.
His wife only later learned of the alleged connection between the five murders via social media and was disappointed that she was not contacted directly.
Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln said his office was working closely with police to bring the killer to justice.
Stockton Police Chief McFadden said during Friday’s conference, “What makes these cases so challenging is that there are no witnesses because of the location, the timing and the lack of light.”
He told reporters that detectives reviewed several hundred hours of video footage.
“We feel like they’re connected somehow. To what extent we just don’t know at this point,” he added.
“We have a series of murders that we believe are linked. The problem we have is that we have no evidence of whether it’s one person, two, or three. We just don’t know. We have no video footage that even caught a crime that even caught a gun in someone’s hand.’
“By definition, you could very well call that a serial killer,” he said.
“It doesn’t fit what we’re used to from gang killings.
One of our victims was a white male, so we have no indication that this was a hate crime.”
Some of them had homes. Some even lived in the area, but not all had no housing.’
The boss is now demanding information from the public.
“Look at your ring cameras and any footage you have of those given dates.”
McFadden, who became police chief just five months ago, also said CCTV surveillance of the locations where shootings took place was limited.
Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden, who took over the position just five months ago. He says the department believes the murders are related but is now asking the public for information
“Either that person or those people are very lucky in their choice of destination, or they do their homework and go to places that they know don’t have cameras,” he said.
He said the police department sent ballistics away for testing but hadn’t received a response yet.
He advised Stockton citizens not to walk alone at night and not to linger in dimly lit areas.
A tip hotline has been set up for people to contact with information. The number is 209-937-8167. Information can also be sent to [email protected].