Gruesome Crime Scene in Cleveland Home
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Registered sex offender, Anthony Sowell, elluded the attention of probation officers and others during the last several years he preyed upon women in his area and even neighborhood. Striking similarities to the crimes of John Wayne Gacey years ago, Sowell lured women to his home where he raped and murdered them. Some were even buried under the house, again calling back memories of the 33 young boys who Gacey murdered years ago.
Fortunately for one woman who escaped and went to local law-enforcement, she was not only the “one who got away” but consequently the one responsible for law-enforcement entering Sowell’s home to discover the gruesome crime scene.
Nothing was really on the radar of local neighbors as to Sowell’s activities, he lived alone and was a loner by all standards. While he was on probation, there was no “probable cause” for law-enforcement to enter his home until last week when the one intended rape victim escaped his home and reported the incident.
Again, this goes back to basic instincts and training. You can never take your safety for granted, even in your own neighborhood. While it may not be a neighbor, it could still easily be someone you know, just as Anne Li knew her murderer several months ago on the Yale University campus. At home, on the job, on the go, personal awarness and safety must me a 24/7 and 360 degree mindset or it doesn’t work at all. The minute we compartmentalize “where” we need to be safe (i.e. on campus, shopping mall parking garage, etc) we lose sight of all the other places we frequent where we can just as easily be lured or attacked (concerts, sporting events, churches, schools, etc). This is not a life of paranoia, but one of awareness.
Did Sowell use the bribery lure, the assistance lure, the love/affection lure, the jobs lure, etc? We may never know, but certainly it would seem that every victim at least willing went into his home, so some form of enticement was obviously at work in these cases.
How many other homes are there in the U.S. like Anthony Sewell’s who have yet to be discovered? It is not a thought we wish to really entertain, but one thing is for sure — we never wish to be found (or have a loved one found) in such a home.  That means we don’t take our personal safety for granted. BE MORE AWARE!
Jeff McKissack