Police ask victims to come forward in case of sex worker hit-and-run predator in southwest Detroit
(FOX 2) - Detroit police are asking any sex workers who have been victims of a violent predator in southwest Detroit to come forward.
Police accuse Lawrence Mills III of Garden City of hitting multiple women with his vehicle and taking off in 2017. At least two of the victims were killed - and police say all were sex workers with whom he had just had relations with.
Garden City man charged with three intentional hit-and-runs of sex workers
Detroit police say a Garden City man targeted multiple sex workers in southwest Detroit in 2017.
"The investigation determined he would approach his victims for a paid sexual encounter, engage in a sexual act inside of his vehicle," Chief Craig said - and then after the women got out of the car, he'd use his car as a weapon and run them over and steal back the money he'd paid them.
"We're not certain at this point if he took any other items but his primary focus was on the money that he paid," Craig said.
The first known victim, 34-year-old Melinda Salazar, was found dead on the sidewalk around 3 a.m. in October of 2017. Weeks later 59-year-old Carrole Ann White was also hit and left for dead.
Lawrence Mills III was just charged this week with beating up a 29-year-old pregnant woman around the same time as the previous cases and then running her over multiple times. She was able to get away run to a home on Campbell Street and call police.
And there's a fourth case from March 17, 2017 that happened around 4 a.m. near Michigan and St. James with same M.O. That woman survived.
Police are also looking into a fifth case from 2018 that may also be connected to Mills.
"It appeared that he only focused on Caucasian women in the southwest area of Detroit and so we believe, based on our investigation, there may be other victims out there," Craig said. "We're asking for any victims to come forward. We don't care about the occupation, we just want you and your family to receive justice."
Meanwhile, Mills is now charged in the two deadly hit-and-runs and is also charged in the case of the 29-year-old pregnant woman.
The vehicle Mills was using in the 2017 attacks is described as both a 2006 gold or tan Chevy Trailblazer, and in 2018 he might have been in possession of a dark-colored Chevy Cobalt. Craig says Mills had the ability to change vehicles often and repair cars.