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Suspected Indiana serial killer charged in woman’s death; more likely in 6 other deaths
Original Publication Date: October 20, 2014 6:51AM
Publication Updated: January 8, 2025 9:48PM
HAMMOND, Ind. – A man suspected in the deaths of seven women in northwestern Indiana has been charged in one of the slayings.
The Lake County prosecutor’s office on Monday charged 43-year-old Darren Vann of nearby Gary, Indiana, in the strangulation death of 19-year-old Afrikka Hardy. Police say her body was found Friday night at a Motel 6 in Hammond.
The Lake County coroner’s office said she was strangled.
Hammond Police Chief John Doughty says Hardy was involved in prostitution and had arranged to meet Vann at the motel through a Chicago-area website.
Police took Vann into custody Saturday afternoon. Doughty said Monday that Vann confessed to killing Hardy and told investigators more bodies could be found in abandoned homes in Gary.
Gary officials expected to charge Vann later this week.
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