The discovery of human remains buried in the courtyard of a home in Hernando County, Florida, reopened an old investigation into a serial killer of women.
Although the case seemed closed,
this new evidence
involves the criminal's family, and opens the possibility of finding remains of some victims who disappeared decades ago.
The neighbors know the place as "the house of horrors".
In it lived the serial killer, Billy Mansfield, who between 1975 and 1980 kidnapped
five young people
to torture, murder them and bury their bodies in the house.
[This boy disappeared for more than two years. They found him alive in the closet of an alleged criminal]
His father and brother Gary, who was arrested Tuesday morning on drug-related charges, still live there.
According to witnesses cited by News Channel 8, at the time of his arrest the man cried out for immunity in exchange for
new leads against his brother
.
Hours later, authorities rushed to the property and spent from dusk to dawn digging in the courtyard, where bodies of other women had been found decades earlier.
Local media reports indicate that the investigation will be extended this Wednesday, after the discovery of
human remains.
"It's scary to think of things like this happening," a neighbor, Christian Green, told News Channel 8.
In March 1981, the Hernando County Sheriff's Department received anonymous information about a body hidden in the backyard of the home.
After obtaining a court order to excavate on the property, authorities discovered a human skull and bones wrapped in a blanket.
Another small sack with human remains was found in the fireplace of the home, according to the Tampa Bay Times newspaper.
Thus the bodies of three women were found, two of whom could never be identified.
[A young Hispanic woman disappears after partying in Dallas. A mysterious photo is the key clue to find it]
Mansfield was convicted of the murder and rape of a woman in California.
To avoid the death penalty, the man confessed to being guilty of five other murders, for which he was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.
In 1980, Mansfield's brother was also suspected of being responsible for the sexual abuse and murder of René Saling, 29, whose body was found in Watsonville, California.
Although he was called to testify, he was never convicted of the case, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
However, the press dubbed the Mansfields
Los Hermanos de La Bolsa
, since during the trial they were forced to wear paper bags over their heads so that they could not see the other witnesses.
“I can't say anything about them.
I can be killed.
They are crazy, ”said a local resident who asked to remain anonymous.
With information from News Channel 8, Tampa Bay Times, Santa Cruz Sentinel.