3 more female bodies found in Indiana, total of 7 discovered

GARY, Ind. -- Police found three more bodies in Gary overnight. A total of seven bodies, all female, were discovered in northwest Indiana over the weekend, according to the Lake County Ind. coroner's office.

One body was found in the 4300-block of Massachusetts Street and two bodies were found in the 400-block of East 43rd Avenue Sunday night.

Authorities identified one of the seven victims as Afrika Hardy, 19. Hardy was found unresponsive at a Motel 6 in the 3800-block of 179th Street in Hammond around 9:30 p.m. Friday. An autopsy found on Sunday that she died as a result of strangulation.

Police said a 43-year-old man from Gary confessed to Hardy's death. They are calling him a person of interest. A source told ABC7 Eyewitness News he may be linked to other murders.

Officials said three bodies were discovered in abandoned homes in Gary late Saturday night, based on a statement from the man in custody. The body of a woman police identified as Anith Jones, 35, of Merrillville, was found in the 400-block of East 43rd Avenue. A second body was found in the 2200-block of Massachusetts Street and a third body was found in the 1800-block of East 19th Avenue.

"Once we find out who they are, we can do a timeline back to see who the last person was that they talked to or last person was who they were with and then the investigation can really take off," Gary Police Department Cpl. Gabrielle King said.

The 43-year-old man in custody has not yet been charged. Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson confirmed he is a sex offender from Austin, Texas, who moved to Gary in 2004.

The mayor said he moved many times and has court cases pending. He is also recently divorced. Freeman-Wilson said he filed in Lake Superior Court in East Chicago, Ind.

Hammond police are expected to update the case on Monday.