The Los Angeles Police Department released today an age-enhanced composite sketch of the Grim Sleeper, a serial killer who has been murdering mostly women in South Los Angeles since 1985.

Homicide detectives are hoping the release of the sketch drawn by an artist who works with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will trigger the identification of the elusive killer dubbed by the LA Weekly as the Grim Sleeper.

“They find kids all the time” using sketches, said lead homicide detective Dennis Kilcoyne. “They have had a lot of success with it.”

The three sketches are slightly different. Kilcoyne said they wanted the public to have choices because they don't know what the killer has been doing for the last 22 years. He could be employed and married with children or living on the street. They just don't know.

A sketch of the Grim Sleeper by an LAPD sketch artist was first released in 1988 when the killer's sole survivor provided details of her attacker. She described him as a male in his 20's or 30's, neatly trimmed black hair, between 5'8″ and 5'10″, around 160 pounds with a pock-marked face. He was driving a 1970's orange or rust-colored two-door Pinto hatchback with a white stripe. However, he was never identified in her attack or the .22 caliber shooting deaths of eight others along Western Avenue starting in 1985.

Check next page for second sketch:

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The killer took a break from his carnage starting in November of 1988 until he resurfaced again in 2002 when the strangled body of 14-year-old Princess Berthomieux was found in an alleyway in Inglewood.

The following year, he strangled to death Valerie McCorvey. His last known victim was

25-year-old old Janecia Peters. Her nude body was found in an alleyway off of Western Avenue January 1, 2007. She had been shot. LAPD cold case detectives connected the two sets of killings in 2005. The LAPD started a task force in May of 2007 after DNA from Peters' crime scene matched with the other slayings. law logo2x b

Two weeks ago, the LAPD re-released the original sketch after pressure by the Coalition to Stop Black Serial Murders. Los Angeles City Council also renewed a $500,000 reward for any information leading to the

arrest and conviction of the killer.

The press conference was held at the LAPD's new downtown headquarters. Anyone with information about the Grim Sleeper should contact task force detectives at 213-486-6830 or LAPD's toll free number at 877-527-3247.

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