Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) — A prostitute who was one of five suspected victims of a U.K. serial killer gave a television interview four days before she vanished.
Paula Clennell, 24, was filmed on Dec. 5 as she continued to walk the streets in the red light district of Ipswich, in the eastern English county of Suffolk, even though the body of one local prostitute had already been found and another was missing.
"I need the money,'' Clennell told regional broadcaster ITV Anglia. "I am a bit wary about getting into cars.'' Clennell was last seen on Dec. 9. Police believe two bodies found in Suffolk yesterday were Clennell and another prostitute Annette Nicholls, 29, although that has yet to be formally confirmed, Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull said at a televised news conference today.
This developing story in Britain has all the elements of a classic modern murder mystery, perhaps by one of the gorier authors like P. D. James. It's almost as if the killer is staging a real-life limited series of "Prime Suspect." This latest twist is the creepiest of all, and strikes me as just the kind of up-the-ante plot twist you might find on any crime show.
It makes me really question why it is that I find it so entertaining to read "cozy" murder mysteries and watch crime shows featuring creative new ways for people to die and for their murderers to be caught.
