Serial killer not at work on West, South sides, police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago's police superintendent wants to separate facts from rumors.

Supt. Eddie Johnson and other police brass addressed questions about missing and deceased African-American women on a case-by-case basis.

Supt. Johnson said four women who had been reported missing have been found alive and are fine, but police are concerned about the deaths of two women and whether they are connected.

Community members arrived Thursday afternoon at Chicago Police Headquarters, where Supt. Johnson held a meeting with about 20 residents from the South and West Sides.

Although the doors were closed to news cameras, police wanted to stop rampant rumors about a serial abductor on the loose.

"I am a black man in the City of Chicago," said Supt. Johnson. "So if there were a hint of a pattern of a serial kidnapper, whatever you want to call him, trust me - we would be on it in a moment's notice."

Police are focused on two deaths. The body of Shantieya Smith, 26, was discovered last week in an abandoned Lawndale garage. The body of Sadaria Davis, 15, was also found in a vacant West Side building.

Police say both of these women knew a man who is now in custody in Tennessee on an unrelated charge.

"Right now, it's still a missing persons investigation, so we can't compel him to come back to Chicago," said Supt. Johnson. "We are sending detectives to Tennessee to talk to him."

Police said the bodies of both women were badly decomposed. There were no obvious signs of trauma.

The medical examiner, at this point, has not made a final ruling on their deaths. They are pending as they wait for final toxicology reports.

The success of Thursday's informative meeting depends on who you asked.

"Today's meeting was good, and I think we're better equipped to put to rest some suspicion in the neighborhood," said Jedidiah Brown.

But not everyone was satisfied with the explanations, even though police answered questions case-by-case.

"It was little more than community appeasement," said Eric Russell. "It was lack of sincerity and it seemed like damage control."

Along with the community meeting, a police spokesman said Supt. Johnson held a private meeting with the Smith family earlier Thursday. The Smith and Davis families did not attend today's community meeting.