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“Yes, so I see.” Jo cleared her throat. “We must consider the drownings. It was a very callous act and shows no empathy toward the victims whatsoever. To him, they were just disposable. He didn’t need them and the quickest way of handling two problems at the same time would be to drown them inside the vehicle.

” She looked at her notes. “The young man he shot in the chest proves there was a certain amount of rebellion. All of the males were hogtied prior to drowning. The killer couldn’t possibly achieve this alone and hold a weapon on ten teenagers, so it’s obvious he ordered them to tie up each other.

When one of them complained, he shot him to prove a point.

The others would then have complied, not knowing what was in store for them. ”

“Do you really believe that the girls just stood around and allowed him to drive that vehicle into the river?” Jenna shook her head. “I really can’t see that happening.”

“From Wolfe’s notes, all the victims have ligature marks on their wrists.

” Jo glanced at the screen. “I would imagine he tied the girl’s hands behind their backs and moved them to a secure place, perhaps a vehicle of some type, before going back and disposing of the males.

He could easily have locked the girls inside a vehicle, a bus or maybe a van.

I would imagine he went back to the limo, started the engine, and just let it roll into the lake. ”

Having come to the same conclusion, Kane nodded. “Yeah, I agree, and the girls would have been terrified by this stage. They would be expecting him to kill them. If he was holding a gun on them, they would more than likely comply believing that they may be able to escape later.”

“Okay, moving on to the first victim.” Jo added the images that Emily had taken to the screen.

“The actual method of murder is irrelevant across all the victims because we know he is copying past murders. The message on the bodies is relevant because it tells us he is angry that someone else has taken the kudos for killing these women. Like I told Wolfe, serial killers believe their kills are like possessions. They take pride in each one. They don’t care about the victims, but the fact they’ve murdered them is important to them, even though they might not remember their names. ”

“Do you believe he is saying he’s better than the other killers, or what?” Jenna raised both eyebrows.

“No, I don’t believe so.” Jo pushed a lock of hair behind one ear and leaned back in the chair.

“I figure he could have murdered a girl and left a note saying the others with the same MO were his from the get-go, but that wouldn’t be any fun for him, would it?

The thrill of the kill, and avoiding being caught, is something that feeds their ego.

You—and I’m including everyone on the team—are included in the game he’s playing.

He’s leaving you clues and at the moment, because he believes he’s outsmarting you, he would be enjoying it immensely.

” She stared into the camera. “Think on his level for a minute. He has planned this out to the last second and didn’t want to risk being seen pulling victims off the street.

Instead, he kidnapped a whole bunch of them to use to prove his point. ”

“I see.” Jenna chewed on her bottom lip. “So why is he raping them and brutalizing them? I’m sure you noticed the bruising on the last victim. He didn’t touch her face. That in itself is unusual, isn’t it?”

“I believe he wants them to look as close to the original crime scene photos as possible.” Jo clasped her hands on the table.

“None of them were beaten around the head. It shows me that he is trying to get a reaction. Maybe the girls aren’t begging and screaming, so he beats them.

He needs their fear. It’s what feeds his fantasy. ”

“And the sexual assault?” Jenna shook her head. “Is that to make them scream as well?”

“Very likely, but there’s another more valid reason.

The sexual assault makes it personal to him.

He’s saying, ‘These murders might not be mine, but this one is.’ In this way, he’s claiming the girl as his property.

” Jo drummed her fingers on the desk. “He would also be using it as showing his domination over his captives. We must assume he has them together somewhere, so subjecting one at a time to his depravity would keep them under control.” She looked directly into the camera.

“I’m assuming this man is in his thirties, single, and lives alone, and from the marks on the victim’s bodies, he has large hands.

As no trace evidence has been discovered on the victims, we can assume he has short hair and no beard.

It’s very likely he has completely shaved his body to eliminate any evidence.

We see this often in cases of multiple sexual assault. ”

Kane exchanged a meaningful look with Jenna. “What happens when he runs out of victims? Do you figure he’ll start taking girls off the street?”

“Yeah, unfortunately I do.” Jo blew out a long breath.

“I figure he’s been planning this for years.

All he needed to do was get out of jail and then find a suitable group of women he could kidnap.

Summer is the perfect time. With groups of people going hiking and camping all through the forest, it wouldn’t be too difficult for him to just come across a group and take who he needs.

This is a very dangerous killer. He doesn’t have anything to lose and has everything to gain by receiving the notoriety he seeks.

In his mind, he believes he earned it. He won’t stop until the story hits the media and gives him the accreditation he believes he deserves.

” She stared into the camera. “He has two girls left and he wants to settle this, move on, and start killing somewhere else. I believe he’ll reveal his true victim very soon. ”