Horrifying New Details About Serial Killer Arthur Ream And How Police Are Searching For The Remains Of Five More Young, Female Victims
He has bragged about killing more people.
Michigan Department of Corrections Arthur Ream, who landed himself behind bars when he was convicted of murdering a young girl, bragged to his fellow inmates about the four to six others he killed.
Investigators believe he may be linked to the disappearance of four girls in the 1970s and 1980s, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“The suspect in this case did brag about murdering four to six other people,” Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer told Macomb Daily.
Police began combing a wooded area near Macomb for any evidence of the missing girls. The field being searched is near where Ream buried 13-year-old Cindy Zarzycki, whom he killed in 1986.
“We do have, as you know, probable cause to believe that this is a grave site," Dwyer said at a news conference Wednesday. "No question about it, that Kimberly King and other young female victims who were murdered are buried here."
According to the Washington Post, investigators are specifically looking for the remains of 12-year-old Kimberly King, who went missing in 1979.
Four other girls may be connected to Ream, authorities said.
"He gave us no indication that there may be other bodies there," Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith Smith said. He added that "if there were more, I'm surprised he didn't tell us 10 years ago,” as Ream loved the attention he got from murdering Zarzycki.
Cynthia Coon, 13, who disappeared from Ann Arbor in 1970; Nadine O'Dell, 16, who disappeared in Inkster in 1974; Kim Larrow, 15, who disappeared in Canton in 1981; and Kellie Brownlee, 17, who disappeared in Novi in 1982, could be buried near the site Zarzycki was if Ream had something to do with their disappearances.
“Everything that happened with these victims fits the profile of our suspect,” Dwyer said Wednesday. “We are cautiously optimistic that we, unfortunately, will find remains.”
Though authorities believe they will find remains, it won’t be easy.
“They’re going to stay out here as long as it takes,” Dwyer said.
The constant digging and searching may last several days or even weeks in order to thoroughly cover every inch of the area.
“They have some reasonable confidence that young ladies may be buried here,” Warren Mayor James R. Fouts said at the news conference. “But it’s 24 acres. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”
Dwyer confirmed that Ream is the main suspect in the disappearance of the girls over 20 years ago.
“We’re trying to bring closure to the families of the victims,” Dwyer said. “This person of interest, our suspect, is not going anywhere.”
The main interest of the search is to find the remains of Kimberly, but it may bring closure to many families, the Detroit Free Press reports.
"It would mean a great deal to be able to bring her remains home, obviously," said Kimberly's older sister, Konnie Beyma. "But it looks like it may bring a great deal of hope to a lot of families, so I think this is very important, not just for us but for many families.”
Ream has not been cooperating with investigators involved in the re-opened cases of the missing girls.
The convicted killer turned 69 on Wednesday and Dwyer pleaded for him to divulge any information he is withholding about the girls.
“Come forward. Be a man about it,” he said. “It’s your birthday. Give us a gift. Give the families a gift.”