After a hunt for a murderer lasting more than a decade, authorities in Florida say that a serial killer believed to be responsible for the death of at least four women has been captured.
Robert Hayes, 37, was booked Sunday for the 2016 murder of Rachel Bey, 32, whose body was found 50 feet off a highway near Jupiter, Florida, according to the Palm Beach Post.
After his arrest, police said that DNA was taken that linked Hayes to two of the four victims found in Volusia County: Laquetta Gunther, Julie Green, Iwana Patton, and Stacey Gage. The slayings occurred between 2005 and 2007, and in each case the women were found with a .40 gunshot wound to the back of the head. Two of them were found with the killer’s semen in their heads along with the bullet from the gun.
“Physical evidence from that murder matches a couple of our Daytona murder victims,” said Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri on Monday. A press conference is expected to be held Monday to discuss further details of the breakthrough.
“We will have breaking news on several cold cases, a strong update in the DSK (Daytona Serial Killer) case,” Capri added.
Hayes was in court Monday morning and is being held without bond.
Capri said that Hayes “did pop up” early on in the investigation, but police did not have enough evidence to press charges. “We interviewed hundreds of people, and he was one,” he said.
