Police Gradually Trim Unit Working on Serial Killings

With a diminishing number of new leads, the San Diego Police Department has begun trimming the force investigating the Clairemont-University City serial killings from 27 detectives down to a single five-person homicide team, said Lt. Gary Learn. The process could take a month or longer, he said.

One of the 27 detectives already has been reassigned, Learn said. The team investigating the stabbing deaths of five women in their homes in Clairemont and University City now includes 26 detectives, and four senior officers.

As each detective on the case eliminates his share of the 2,600 leads, each will be reassigned to normal duties, Learn said during the department’s weekly press briefing last week.

The process of reducing the task force could take a month or longer, depending on how long it takes each detective to finish checking tips. Meanwhile, the number of new tips coming in from the public has slowed to a trickle, he said.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Deputy Chief Cal Krosch said in a telephone interview. “But, in the absence of any new information, we’ll have to cut back some.”

The force was beefed up to 27 detectives in September in response to the huge number of leads, Learn said.

“Even if we do cut back, we will still have the original team of five,” he said.

Investigators are looking at six to eight suspects, but the suspects change from day to day, Learn said. “We’re used to having our hopes dashed. It’s not a static number we’re looking at.”

He declined to say whether particular suspects were under constant observation and being followed. Noting that the killer has not struck in more than two months, Learn said it is possible he has left town.

The Clairemont-University City suspect is said to be a light-skinned, black male, 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-10, with a medium build and short, dark, curly hair.

Since Jan. 12, four women between the ages of 18 and 21 have been slain inside their homes in the middle of the day after the killer entered through an unlocked or open door, police say. The fifth victim, 42-year-old Pamela Gail Clark, was the mother of one of the victims, 18-year-old Amber Clark. Both were stabbed inside their home in University City on Sept. 13. The three other women lived within two blocks of one another in a row of apartment houses in Clairemont.

During a tour of the Clairemont-University City area last week, Learn said he noticed numerous open doors and windows.

“Even without a murderer running around, people should still be cautious,” Learn said.