Cops fear for 160 women whose pix slay suspect had

LOS ANGELES - Bracing for a flood of tips from the public, detectives prepared yesterday to release dozens of photographs of unidentified women that were found at the home of the suspected "Grim Sleeper" serial killer.

Investigators hope that members of public recognize some of the roughly 160 subjects in the photos, and let authorities know of their whereabouts.

"Now that we know who he is and what type of activity he is involved in with women, we are very concerned for everyone in these photographs," Detective Dennis Kilcoyne said.

Detectives found the photos, along with hundreds of hours of home video, when they searched Lonnie Franklin Jr.'s South Los Angeles home in July. The 180 or so photos depict about 160 women, since some women are shown in more than one photo.

Franklin has pleaded not guilty to the murders of 10 women from 1985 to 1988 and from 2002 to 2007. The apparent 14-year pause in the alleged crimes led to the nickname "Grim Sleeper," though detectives suspect Franklin could be involved in many other deaths.

In the photos, some of which are sexually explicit, the women appear to be willing participants, he said. Only closely cropped versions of the photos are being released.

"It baffles me how he is so successful at getting women to do what he asks them to do," Kilcoyne said. "It's not like we have pictures of him holding a knife to someone's neck."

Kilcoyne said investigators found photographs throughout Franklin's house, including many in his garage and cars.

Police also have said they suspect Franklin of killing a man who may have discovered he was a killer.

In addition, they are reviewing more than 30 other cold-case files to see if they can tie Franklin to other slayings.

Franklin was taken into custody last summer after his son was arrested and swabbed for DNA. Using a technique known as a familial DNA search, the sample came back as similar to evidence in the serial killings, ultimately leading police to Franklin.