Police say man confesses to killing four women in Ind.

Police say they have a man in custody who has confessed to killing four women whose bodies were found in northwest Indiana over the weekend.

The 43-year-old man from Gary, who has not been charged, was being held Sunday in nearby Hammond, according to Lt. Richard Hoyda of the Hammond Police Department. Police were withholding the man's name pending formal charges.

Hammond's mayor, Thomas McDermott Jr., described the suspect on his Facebook page as an "admitted serial killer" and "convicted sexual offender." McDermott also wrote that the suspect told police of the location of another victim, and that he admitted "to a couple of homicides in Hammond back in 94 or 95."

Hoyda said police found the body of Afrika Hardy, 19, at Motel 6 in Hammond on Friday. She had been strangled, according to the Lake County, Ind. Coroner's office. Investigators developed a lead that led them to the man on Saturday afternoon.

"A subsequent interrogation of the person of interest ... led to the man making a confession and then leading detectives to the city of Gary where several other female victims of possible homicides were located," Hoyda said in a written statement.

Gary Police say that the man led police to three victims -- all women -- in that city.

Only one of the three has been identified: Anith Jones, 35, of Merrillville, Ind.

Police say that family members had reported Jones missing on Oct. 8. Her car was found in Gary last week, and police found evidence in the vehicle that suggested she was the victim of foul play.

Hoyda said police searched a home and a vehicle as part of the investigation.

Gary officials say there was a level of unease in the community after Jones went missing. The Gary Police Department said in a statement after the arrest that it sought "to dispel the rumor that there is a 'serial killer' on the loose."

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson and Police Chief Larry McKinley called for the city's residents to "remain calm and patient as our teams work this investigation and do what they do best."