[FROM CHANNEL 8]
LARGO, Md. - Police in Prince George's County released the identities of two women found dead in a torched car in Largo, saying their deaths may be linked to the murders of two other women.
Prince George's County police officials say they may be looking for a serial killer. They note the latest deaths of a Prince George's County mother and daughter bare a striking resemblance to a nearby crime in January.
"The similarities are unusual," said Maj. Andy Ellis of the Prince George's County Police Department. "And they have caused us concern."
According to police, the victims of the latest crime are 45-year-old Dolores Dewitt and her 19-year-old daughter Ebony Dewitt. Their burned remains were found inside a Nissan Maxima that was reported stolen at 4 a.m. Monday on Woodlawn Boulevard in Largo.
Minutes later, the car was torched and left in the driveway of a vacant home around the corner.
Chauniece Jones says she was best friends with Ebony Dewitt. "She was like a sister to me and her mother was like another mother to me," she said.
Police say the mother and daughter were last known to be alive Sunday afternoon in their home on Cedarhollow Lane. A family member reportedly spoke to the women but later found the home empty.
Police say the most recent crime has many similarities to the deaths of Karen and Karissa Lofton who were shot to death in their home just a mile-and-a-half away in late January.
"It is a possibility that these cases are linked," said Ellis. "And we need folks in that Largo area to take precautions."
Residents who live in the area say they now are extremely upset and frightened. "I've been in this neighborhood for 14 years," said one woman. "I have four children in this neighborhood, two grand-babies and it's very scary."
At this time, the medical examiner has not determined how the Dewitts died. Police do not have motives for either one of the crimes, but they do believe they are dealing with more than one suspect.
