A self-employed house painter suspected in as many as 19 slayings was held without charges Wednesday in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy whose dismembered body was found in garbage bags near his home Police were questioning Larry Eyler free on bond on a murder charge in Lake County, Illinois in the death of Daniel Bridges. Eyler is a suspect in as many as 18 other homosexual-related slayings in Illinois and Indiana Bridges’ dismembered body was discovered Tuesday in a dumpster outside Eyler’s North Side apartment building. While authorities awaited results of crime lab tests on numerous items from Eyler’s apartment, detectives were asking neighborhood youngsters if they ever saw Bridges and Eyler together. Sgt John Schmidt said Bridges and Eyler an Indiana native “knew each other” but he did not know how long. Eyler was not immediately charged but the evidence was likely to go before a Cook County grand jury later this week said Dave Devane a spokesman for the state’s attorney’s office Police are allowed to hold a suspect for up to 72 hours without issuing formal charges he added Cook County Medical Examiner Robert J Stein Wednesday conducted the autopsy on Bridges’ body which had been cut into eight pieces and stuffed in six plastic bags A janitor Joseph Balla told police he saw Eyler put the bags in the dumpster Monday afternoon Balla called police Tuesday when body parts fell out of a broken bag as he removed the garbage Police lab technicians reconstructed the body took a photograph of the face and identified the victim as Bridges after show ing the photo to youths in the Uptown area The youth had been missing since Sunday Bridges’ parents Noble and Austine Bridges made a positive identification police said NBC News reported Wednesday night that Bridges was interviewed by the network in March as part of a program on the sexual abuse of children NBC reported that Bridges who ) Chicago police hold painter suspected in as many as 19 deaths Larry Eyler has been been linked to slayings of 18 other men in Illinois and Indiana between October 1982 and October 1983 was sexually abused while young by a man in his neighborhood was a child prostitute by age 12 had posed for pornographers and ran away from home repeatedly In an interview videotaped five months ago and rebroadcast by NBC Wednesday Bridges said that after he was abused he felt part of his childhood “slipping away” Eyler has been been linked to slayings of 18 men in Illinois and Indiana between October 1982 and October 1983 He was charged with murder in the death of Ralph Calise and ordered held on $1 million bond But Lake County Circuit Judge William Block reduced Eyler’s bond to $10000 after ruling evidence recovered by Indiana authorities in the slaying of Ca lise 28 a Chicago electrician was inadmissible Ca lise’s body was found in a shallow grave in Lake County Block ruled Eyler who had been in jail since his arrest last Oct 29 had previously been detained illegally by Indiana police and his property had been seized without probable cause Indiana police had confiscated handcuffs a blood-stained knife tape rope and a pair of boots from Eyler’s truck Block noted Illinois law provides that if a motion to suppress evidence is allowed the defendant shall be released without bond unless there are reasons not to do so “I set some sort of bond to keep some sort of restrictions on him” Block said adding that if it weren’t for the nature of the crimes Eyler was accused of committing he would have been released without any bond The Lake County state’s attorney’s office has an appeal of Block’s ruling on the evidence pending with the Illinois Appellate Court Chicago pohce liold painter suspected in as many as 19 deaths From Herald Wire Services CHICAGO — A self-employed Larry Eyler has been house painter suspected in as many as 19 slayings was held been linked to slayings without charges Wednesday in the — P oi 18 other men in stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy whose dismembered body was Illinois and Indiana fouhome between in garbage bags near his t October 1982 Police were questioning Larry and October 1983 Eyler free on bond on a murder charge in Lake County Ill in the death of Daniel Bridges Eyler is a suspect in as many as 18 other was sexually abused while young homosexual-related slayings in II- by a man in his neighborhood was linois and Indiana a child prostitute by age 12 had Bridges’ dismembered body was posed for pornographers and ran discovered Tuesday in a dumpster away from home repeatedly In an outside Eyler’s North Side apart- interview videotaped five months ment building ago and rebroadcast by NBC While authorities awaited re- Wednesday Bridges said that after sults of crime lab tests on numer- he was abused he felt part of his ous items from Eyler’s apartment childhood “slipping away” detectives were asking neighbor- Eyler has been been linked to hood youngsters if they ever saw slayings of 18 men in Illinois and Bridges and Eyler together Indiana between October 1982 and Sgt John Schmidt said ‘Bridges October 1983 He was charged and Eyler an Indiana native with murder in the death of Ralph “knew each other” but he did not Calise and ordered held on $1 know how long million bond Eyler was not immediately But Lake County Circuit Judge charged but the evidence was William Block reduced Eyler’s likely to go before a Cook County bond to $10000 after ruling grand jury later this week said evidence recovered by Indiana Dave Devane a spokesman for the authorities in the slaying of Calise s office 28 a Chicago electrician was state’s attorney’ Police are allowed to hold a inadmissible Calise’s body was Poli suspect for up to 72 hours without found in a shallow grave in Lake issuing formal charges he added County Cook County Medical Examiner Block ruled Eyler who had been Robert J Stein Wednesday con- in jail since his arrest last Oct 29 ducted the autopsy on Bridges’ had previously been detained ille- body which had been cut into gaily by Indiana police and his eight pieces and stuffed in six property had been seized without plastic bags A janitor Joseph probable cause Balla told police he saw Eyler put Indiana police had confiscated the bags in the dumpster Monday handcuffs a blood-stained knife afternoon Balla called police tape rope and a pair of boots from Tuesday when body parts fell out Eyler’s truck of a broken bag as he removed the Block noted Illinois law provides garbage that if a motion to suppress Police lab technicians recon- evidence is allowed the defendant structed the body took a photo- shall be released without bond graph of the face and identified unless there are reasons not to do the victim as Bridges after show- so ing the photo to youths in the “I set some sort of bond to keep Uptown area The youth had been some sort of restrictions on him” missing since Sunday Bridges’ Block said adding that if it parents Noble and Austine Brid- weren’t for the nature of the ges made a positive identification crimes Eyler was accused of police said committing he would have been NBC News reported Wednesday released without any bond night that Bridges was inter- The Lake County state’s attor- viewed by the network in March ney’s office has an appeal of as part of a program on the sexual Block’s ruling on the evidence abuse of children pending with the Illinois Appellate NBC reported that Bridges who Court ).