Uploaded February 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Anthony Sowell AKA "The Cleveland Strangler" Serial Killer / Disturbing Prison Artwork (2) "Victim Graveyard" Pieces (11) Gravestones and a (12) Gravestone Meant For Himself / Blood Red Hand Prints On Thick Artboard
Anthony Edward Sowell (August 19, 1959 – February 8, 2021)was an American serial killer and rapist known as the Cleveland Strangler. He was arrested in October 2009 after the bodies of 11 women were discovered by police at his home in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio.
On November 5, 2009, two of the eleven women victims were identified. The first was Tonia Carmichael, a 53-year-old who had disappeared more than a year earlier. Her body was found buried in his backyard. She appeared to have been strangled and was identified through the use of DNA evidence. Her mother had reported her missing in December 2008.
The second victim was identified as Telacia Fortson, a 31-year-old who had disappeared five months earlier. Although she had been missing since June, her mother did not report her missing until she heard the news coverage regarding the dead bodies discovered in Sowell's home.
On November 8, 2009, three more bodies were identified. Crystal Dozier was a 38-year-old who went missing in May 2007. The mother of seven children, she lived in the area where her body was discovered. Her family reported her missing to the Cleveland Police Department. This was not the first time she had gone missing, and the family accused the police of failing to investigate. The family took it upon themselves to post fliers and call hospitals.
Amelda "Amy" Hunter was 47. A beautician and mother of three, she did not live in the area where her body was found, but she did visit frequently. A previous injury left her unable to use one of her arms. Her family did not report her missing until after police began removing bodies from Sowell's house.
Michelle Mason, 45, was last seen in October 2008. She lived in the area where her body was found. According to records, the police conducted a full investigation when her family reported her missing.
Records of missing persons going back to Sowell's June 2005 release from prison were searched and DNA testing was conducted on the bodies found at Sowell's house. Protesters holding posters of missing loved ones gathered outside his home at the time.
East Cleveland police also reopened several cold cases from the late 1980s. The murders by strangulation used a similar modus operandi and had stopped around 1989, the same time that Sowell was arrested. The FBI at the time was gathering information to see if Sowell may have been linked to unsolved cases in cities where he once lived
Join The Horror Stash On Social Media-
TWITTER twitter.com/the_horrorstash
FACEBOOK facebook.com/thehorrorstash
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/the_horror_stash_
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/caseys_true_crime_collection
Anthony Sowell AKA "The Cleveland Strangler" Serial Killer / Disturbing Prison Artwork (2) "Victim Graveyard" Pieces (11) Gravestones and a (12) Gravestone Meant For Himself / Blood Red Hand Prints On Thick Artboard
Anthony Edward Sowell (August 19, 1959 – February 8, 2021)was an American serial killer and rapist known as the Cleveland Strangler. He was arrested in October 2009 after the bodies of 11 women were discovered by police at his home in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio.
On November 5, 2009, two of the eleven women victims were identified. The first was Tonia Carmichael, a 53-year-old who had disappeared more than a year earlier. Her body was found buried in his backyard. She appeared to have been strangled and was identified through the use of DNA evidence. Her mother had reported her missing in December 2008.
The second victim was identified as Telacia Fortson, a 31-year-old who had disappeared five months earlier. Although she had been missing since June, her mother did not report her missing until she heard the news coverage regarding the dead bodies discovered in Sowell's home.
On November 8, 2009, three more bodies were identified. Crystal Dozier was a 38-year-old who went missing in May 2007. The mother of seven children, she lived in the area where her body was discovered. Her family reported her missing to the Cleveland Police Department. This was not the first time she had gone missing, and the family accused the police of failing to investigate. The family took it upon themselves to post fliers and call hospitals.
Amelda "Amy" Hunter was 47. A beautician and mother of three, she did not live in the area where her body was found, but she did visit frequently. A previous injury left her unable to use one of her arms. Her family did not report her missing until after police began removing bodies from Sowell's house.
Michelle Mason, 45, was last seen in October 2008. She lived in the area where her body was found. According to records, the police conducted a full investigation when her family reported her missing.
Records of missing persons going back to Sowell's June 2005 release from prison were searched and DNA testing was conducted on the bodies found at Sowell's house. Protesters holding posters of missing loved ones gathered outside his home at the time.
East Cleveland police also reopened several cold cases from the late 1980s. The murders by strangulation used a similar modus operandi and had stopped around 1989, the same time that Sowell was arrested. The FBI at the time was gathering information to see if Sowell may have been linked to unsolved cases in cities where he once lived
Join The Horror Stash On Social Media-
TWITTER twitter.com/the_horrorstash
FACEBOOK facebook.com/thehorrorstash
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/the_horror_stash_
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/caseys_true_crime_collection
