Police Join in Gay Death Probe
by Wanda Bryant-Willis
Detectives from four Indiana counties have joined forces to find links in the unsolved deaths of four Indianapolis males known to frequent male prostitution sites. Investigators are attempting to piece together information on deaths involving the males whose bodies were later found outside Marion County. The inter-agency attempt will involve officers from Marion, Vermillion and Putnam Counties, as well as Indianapolis and State Police.
Authorities will attempt to pinpoint whether the deaths show a particular pattern, or whether the males shared any common bonds. Indianapolis Deputy Chief Robert Ward said the latest deaths are included among “8 to 24 murders in the past eight years of young males who frequent male prostitution areas.” The team will look at the most recent slayings and questionable deaths that took place from June 1980 to December 1982.
The latest death was that of John Roach, 21, 200 block of East 9th. Roach’s body was found in a field south of Putnamville December 29. He had been stabbed numerous times in the abdomen and once in the back. His hands were bound with a nylon cord. Investigators also will examine information in the death of Delvoyd Lee Baker, 14, and the unsolved deaths of Dennis Brotzge, 27, and Michael Petree, 15.
All of the victims were known to frequent locations and businesses that cater to male prostitution. Ward said, “all were found in ditches in Southern Hamilton County and Northern Marion County. Baker had been strangled, but the cause of death for Petree and Brotzge remains unknown. Ward said the deaths of Petree and Brotzge could have been accidental, but investigators suspect foul play.
The inter-agency team will attempt to find any other similarities that exist between the deaths and if they are connected to other incidents in the state. “We want to find out if these people went to the same bars, had any work ties, or any similar friends in the gay or hustler community,” said Ward. He admitted that investigators have “very little to go on” because of the closed nature of the Indianapolis male prostitution community.
He stressed that some homosexuals in the area disassociate themselves from those who prostitute for money. A crackdown on homosexual hangouts last fall has indirectly hurt the investigations, Ward and Lt. Jerry Campbell said. “In a way we’ve put some of these people more underground,” said Campbell. “They’re meeting in less public places, and this has made it difficult for us to locate and interview potential witnesses.”
