A Knox native is among the six murder victims tied to an alleged serial killer arrested over the weekend in Gary. Police say Darren Vann, 43, of Gary, confessed to killing the women and led them to abandoned buildings throughout the city where he had dumped their bodies. He was arrested Saturday after Hammond Police linked him to the death of Afrika Hardy, 16, who was found strangled to death in a room at the Hammond Motel 6.
So far authorities have identified three of his six other victims, including Kristine Williams, 36, of Gary. She’s the daughter of Knox Planning Commission Board Administrator Bruce Williams. Kristine attended school at Knox and would have graduated in 1997. It’s unclear how long she’s been dead. Family members tell WKVI News she last spoke to her son three or four months ago. Williams had not been reported missing, according to a report in the “Northwest Indiana Times.” Authorities found her body Sunday night in an abandoned home in the 4300 block of Massachusetts Street in Gary. Williams’ body has not been released pending a forensic autopsy. Family members advise a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
Vann remains jailed in Lake County where he’s charged with Hardy’s murder. Formal charges in the other deaths are pending, and authorities are attempting to identify the three Jane Doe victims. They’re also investigating Vann’s possible involvement in other unsolved murders. The Lake County Prosecutor is weighing whether to seek the death penalty against Vann.
