Serial Killer Stump Mexico City Police
By IOAN GRILLO, Associated Press Writer
Tue Jan 17, 6:49 AM ET



MEXICO CITY - The killer is either a cross-dressing man or a robust woman who strangles elderly women with stockings or telephone cables.


Mexican police believe the so-called "Mataviejitas," or "Little Old Lady Killer," has killed at least seven elderly women in the country's bustling capital of 20 million, although they are investigating whether 22 other slayings of older Mexico City women since 2003 are also related.

The slayings have captured the imagination of tabloid-style papers and news stations in recent months, while terrorizing older residents in a city already plagued by kidnappings and crime. They have also brought fresh criticism of a police department and justice system that leaves the vast majority of crimes unsolved and unprosecuted.

Police say the killer struck most recently in October. Witnesses have described a masculine figure in a dress near the scene of some of the crimes, indicating the killer may be mimicking another serial killer in France â€â€