Police authorities in northwest Indiana warned that there could be more bodies elsewhere, after they arrested a suspected killer believed responsible for the murders of seven women in the towns of Gary and Hammond.

The suspect has been arrested and identified as Darren Deon Vann, 43, a Gary resident, who turned out to be a convicted sex offender who had moved north from Austin, Texas in 2004.

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Vann was accused of killing a 19-year-old woman, Afrika Hardy, on Friday. The strangled body was found inside a Motel 6 in Hammond. 
When he was arrested at a home in Gary, Vann confessed to the killing of three other women and told police where to find the bodies.

On Saturday night, authorities found the body of Anith Jones, 35, who had been reported  missing since October 8. 

The Chiago Tribune reported that police found the next body around 1 a.m. Sunday and a third body less than an hour later. Late Sunday, the coroner's office confirmed the discovery of three additional Jane Does, all of which were found in Gary. 

The coroner's office said all seven deaths have been ruled homicides. Most of the bodies were found in or around abandoned homes in blighted neighborhoods. The house near where Jones was found was described as being located in a thriving neighborhood, although it is unkempt, with overgrown grass and weeds.

Officials said the convicted sex offender may have been responsible for two more murders in the mid-1990s.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. called Vann a "serial killer" in a Facebook post Sunday afternoon and said he has "admitted to a couple of homicides in Hammond," that date back to 1994 or 1995. 

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson and Gary Chief Larry McKinley in a joint statement asked for calm and patience.

"We commend the officers for their work thus far and ask the citizens to remain calm and patient as our teams work this investigation and do what they do best," their statement said.