A man killed in West Virginia by an escort he tried to attack, and possibly murder, could be a serial killer, police are now saying. Neal Falls of Oregon was shot with his own gun on July 18 after he tried to kill the escort, but authorities found evidence that he might have already murdered several escorts and prostitutes in different states.
The escort, who goes by “Heather,” says Falls began choking her and threatened to take her life, so she grabbed his gun and took his instead. Police found axes, a shovel, and bleach, in Falls’ car after he was killed. “The fact that he was 45 years old and carrying tools like he was and committing a crime that was so organized and so violent, it’s unlikely that this was his first violent crime,” said Charleston police Lt. Steve Cooper.
Falls was also found with a list of 10 other women, nine of whom were from West Virginia and one was from San Diego. Authorities are working to confirm that the woman listed are all still alive.
“We are sharing this information with law enforcement across the country in hopes that we may be able to help solve cold cases or bring closure to some families if Mr. Falls has been involved in anything like this before.”
No violent crimes have surfaced on Falls’ record, but authorities in Nevada says he rented a room in the area of Henderson, around the time that four prostitutes went missing and were later found dead. Las Vegas police are investigating.
Meanwhile, Falls got in contact with “Heather” by responding to an add on Backpage.com. When they agreed to meet in person, she says he immediately got aggressive and tried to choke her, at which point she attempted to protect herself with one of his tools. “He wouldn’t let me get any air and when he laid the gun down to get the rake out of my hands, I shot him.”
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