Murder suspect drowns in prison

A reporter accused of killing elderly women in cases that he covered for his newspaper was found drowned in a bucket of water in a prison bathroom, police said.

Vlado Taneski, 56, died several hours after being placed in prison custody, police said. He had been charged with two murders and suspected in a third.

Police said a handwritten note was found in Taneski’s prison cell, under the pillow, saying, “I did not commit these murders.”

The victims were strangled with telephone cable after being beaten and sexually abused.

Police were also investigating whether Taneski may have been involved in the disappearance of a fourth elderly woman in the area.

Taneski emerged as a suspect after reporting details of the deaths in the national daily Utrinski Vesnik that had not been made public, police said. Taneski’s DNA was then found on the bodies of two of the victims, police said. He was arrested Friday in Kicevo.