The Lost Women of South Central
Christine Pelisek
It is an often stated truth that serial killers who prey on "forgotten" members of society - drug addicts, sex workers, homeless - are not investigated or captured with the frequency or diligence that is afforded to the wealthy and those privileged by birth. Sadly, the events of the Grim Sleeper serial killings seem to bear this out.
Lonnie Franklin Jr. was the perpetrator of a reign of terror in South Central LA lasting from the mid 80's to his arrest in 2010, although his list of crimes goes back as far as the 70's. Unfortunately the killings, and even word that there was a serial killer active were withheld from the community they were occurring in. Press attention was scarce to non-existent. Even a current Google search turns up mostly articles on his death in early 2020, lacking the volume of sites, books, and other media that cover other serial killers (for example, a search on Ted Bundy, who has been dead for decades, turns up a wealth of current blogs, pages, infopedias, and media). The families and community itself spent years protesting and trying in vain to get attention, all in the face of an apathy from the police who were supposed to protect citizens. Such apathy and lack of communication from authorities in turn lead to a distrust and suspicion of police - could the killer be a member of the police force? a well placed politician? or could it simply be that police viewed the murder of addicts and sex workers as "just a thing that happens"?
This book chronicles the lives lost to The Grim Sleeper, as well as the effects on the families left behind. It continues through the taskforce that finally located and tested DNA evidence that tied multiple murders together, and led them to the killer. Finally we see the sentencing and the impact of the trial on the families of these forgotten women. I would definitely recommend this book, although I would advise that one should approach it with a willingness to consider and be open to the disproportionate impact some crimes seem to have in minority and less privileged communities. s
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