Police Task Force Steps Up Gay Murders Investigations
A task force with members from 11 Central Indiana police agencies will begin reviewing the reports on the homosexual related murders of eight young men since 1980 for new leads, police announced Wednesday. However, one of the Central Indiana Multiagency Investigative Team’s first goals is to improve contacts with the Indianapolis Gay Community, said Lt. Jerry R. Campbell, an Indianapolis Police Department detective who is heading the task force. Police relationships with gays have not been good, he admitted. Because the eight victims, whose bodies have been found in and around Marion County, had homosexual involvement, investigators say they need the gay community’s cooperation.
The 17 members of the task force have been told that in order to solve the deaths they have to be sensitive toward the gay lifestyle, Campbell said. “The point here is to try and identify the person or persons responsible for the deaths,” Campbell said. “Everyone assigned to the task force has a keen understanding of the situation.” The task force was started after the body of Michael A. Riley, 22, Indianapolis, was found June 5 in Hancock County. The last month has been spent have been assigned to the task force preparing the force, comprised of detectives from IPD, Indiana State Police, Marion County Sheriff’s Department, and sheriffs’ departments of eight counties surrounding Indianapolis.
The task force is now ready to review information about the eight deaths and investigate any new cases, Campbell told a news conference at the Marion County Public Safety Training Academy, 901 North Post Road. State police have set up a telephone “hotline” at 232-8248 to receive tips. “Calls are coming in practically every day,” he said. However, Campbell would not say if the task force has developed any leads in the cases. The task force has contacted authorities in Kansas City, Missouri and Corpus Chrisi, Texas. Police departments in those cities have investigated multiple murders, and the task force wants to learn about their methods, Campbell explained.
