Reports Said False On Criminologist Probing Murders

Reports Said False On Criminologist Probing Murders

Prosecuting Attorney William F. Delhey today branded as “false” reports in the Detroit News that a Detroit Recorders Court criminologist will be brought in to help local authorities solve the slayings of six young women in this area.

Delhey, who is coordinating the investigation being carried out by five police agencies, said his first knowledge of the erroneous report came when he was contacted by a local radio station to comment on the wire service account which was provided by the Detroit paper.

He said he later saw the reporter who wrote the original account and the man admitted his report may have been “premature.” The report said that Alan Canty, head of the Recorders Court psychopathic clinic, had been asked to help and had told police officials he would when he retires July 15.

State Police Director Col. Fredrick E. Davids, whose agency is one of the five working on the coordinated investigation, has commented that he has no power to hire such a consultant and that any hiring would have to be done by Delhey.

The prosecuting attorney said that he has been in close contact with Davids, who according to some reports hired Canty, and that Davids never mentioned the Detroit man nor had Delhey ever heard of him from other sources.

Also labeled false was a wire service report that Delhey suggested bringing in a criminologist to help solve the crimes. He said today that if such a person were called in at all, it would be after apprehension of a murder suspect.

This is the second false report of the calling in of a criminologist, the first having been published earlier by the Detroit Free Press.

Meanwhile, a Southgate man was being investigated today in connection with the six murders after sheriff’s deputies said he abducted two 16-year-old girls and drove them to Dexter last night.

James Draper was apprehended by Southgate police shortly after the two girls, Lona Heikkila and Janice Osborne, fled from his car in Dexter. The girls told Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies that Draper had driven them to Dexter against their will after the Heikkila girl had been hired by Draper as a baby sitter.

Miss Heikkila said Draper told her he knew a friend of hers and was in need of a baby sitter. Draper reportedly picked up Miss Osborne but instead of driving to his home, set out for Dexter where he said he had to leave a television set for repair.

During the ride, Draper talked to the girls about the murders.

When he stopped in Dexter to leave the television set, the girls bolted and ran into a self-service laundry. They said Draper circled the area but sped off when a Dexter village police car appeared.