Update: (Video) Did One Pizza Slice Lead to "Grim Sleeper" Serial Killer Suspect?

As odd as it seems, a piece of pizza, casually tossed out, could be behind the capture of the alleged "Grim Sleeper" serial killer, Lonnie David Franklin Jr. He was arrested in connection to a rash of murders which took place from 1985-2007. The killer was nicknamed the "Grim Sleeper" when the killings seemed to stop in 1988 and thirteen years long years passed. This led to the murderer's nickname, the "Grim Sleeper", an obvious play on the words "Grim Reaper."

No one seemed to know where the killer was or why he'd stopped going after women (the one male victim was assumed to have known the killer's identity or made the murderer suspicious for unknown reasons). In 2002, another homicide matching the "Grim Sleeper" profile occurred. Finally, there was yet another homicide in 2007. A friend of that victim can be heard in the video (below) noting how she had a feeling the killer was still among them.

This arrest was the first time a genetic method called "familiar" searching was used to successfully find a suspect in California. Familar searching involves partial genetic information matched to crime scene data. It is particularly useful when a potential criminal's DNA profile is not in the state database

The information shocked some in the neighborhood. Neighbors had hired Franklin to repair their cars and spent time alone with him, never realizing an alleged murderer was among them.

The news about Franklin's arrest gave me pause. As someone who uses online services to find registered sex offenders who might be living near us,the arrest of this suspect clearly indicated that those searches go only so far, primarily useful for convicted criminals.Serial killers who haven't been arrested could be living in virtually any area.

One victim survived an attack from the "Grim Sleeper" in 1988. She later recalled the man was black, in his 20s, and had acne scars on his face. Then there was a witness in 1987 who saw a man remove a body from a Dodge van. The man even took down the license plate number and police found the car - but it was deserted.

They came close to catching the possible killer. The engine hadn't yet cooled off. The body later turned out to be 23 year old Barbara Ware.

If convicted, Lonnie David Franklin, Jr. could face the death penalty. More attention will also be focused on" familiar" searching as a way to help find criminals, possibly using a single pizza slice to hone in on them.