Shootings In Gaffney May Be Work Of A Serial Killer

The search for a serial killer intensifes in Gaffney, South Carolina.

At a news conference today, Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton said the same man is responsible for four murders that have occurred over the last six days.

The first came last Saturday, when local peach farmer Kline Cash was shot and killed.

On Wednesday, the bodies of 83-year-old Hazel Linder and 50-year-old Gena Linder Parker were found inside their home in Gaffney.

Investigators say they were also shot and killed.

Then on Thursday night, 48-year-old Stephen Tyler was shot and killed at his electronics and appliance store on East Frederick Street. His 15-year-old daughter was critically injured.

The family's store, Tyler Home Center, is less than a mile from the sheriff's office.

Sheriff Blanton says more than 100 officers from North and South Carolina are now working on the case.

They've released a police sketch of the suspect and are urging people throughout the Gaffney community to keep their guards up and their doors locked.

People we spoke to say this is the worst thing to happen in Gaffney since the 1960s.

That's when the so-called "Gaffney Strangler" tormented the city. He killed seven people before he was evenutally caught.

Investigators believe the suspect in this case may be driving a late-model, two-door Ford Explorer that's gray or champagne in color.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, or Crime Stoppers at (864) 489-2746.

Updated 10:35pm on 7/3/09