Serial killer suspected in seven murders in Cyprus

World Today

A suspected serial killer in Cyprus has confessed to killing seven females dating back to 2016. Investigators are searching for more bodies in a series of crimes that only came to light by accident. CGTN’s Toby Muse reports.

The latest piece of evidence in the trail of a suspected serial killer – a woman’s body found in a suitcase at the bottom of a lake.

“After great and persistent effort and many difficulties a travel case was pulled from the lake, containing the body of a woman, and a block of cement. The body was examined by a coroner and is in a highly decomposed state. More tests, scientific and otherwise, will be carried out in order to identify the woman,” CID Nicosia chief Neophytos Shailos said.

The suspect is a 35-year-old Cypriot army captain and has told the police that he dumped three of his victims in the man-made toxic lake. The killer appears to have targeted foreign women who had migrated to Cyprus for work. He said he killed five women and two girls, the daughters of two of his victims, over a span of three years. Police said he found his victims on a dating website. The hunt for the suspect started two weeks ago after tourists discovered a corpse dumped in an old mine shaft.

The case has Cyprus fascinated. Many accuse authorities of being slow to follow-up on the disappearances because the women were immigrants from Romania and the Philippines. Protests have demanded the resignation of the Justice Minister.

“I’m ashamed to be living in Cyprus these days. I’m ashamed to be a Cypriot, and I’m here to show my support,” said Vanthoulla Constantinides as she attended one of the marches.

Authorities continue to hunt for others missing. The suspected killer’s name has not yet been released.