How many victims did Anthony Sowell have? Kill count of the Cleveland Strangler explored ahead of Very Scary People on ID

Season 6 of the true crime show Very Scary People will premiere with the story of Anthony Sowell, nicknamed the "Cleveland Strangler". The show, hosted by Donny Wahlberg, is scheduled to air on Investigation Discovery (ID) on December 15, 2024, at 9 pm.

Anthony Sowell was a man from Cleveland, Ohio who was convicted on several counts, including r*pe, and served time in prison. A few years after his release, it was discovered that he had continued to r*pe women, strangle them, and stash their bodies which earned him the name "Cleveland Strangler".

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Anthony Sowell killed 11 women and hid them in his house

Anthony Sowell, a former US Marine, served 15 years in prison from 1990 to 2005 after he pled guilty to charges of attempted r*pe. After his release, he murdered 11 women between 2007 and 2009, whose bodies were discovered in his "house of horrors" that emanated a putrid smell, according to neighbors.

Anthony Sowell was apprehended on October 31, 2009, when one of his victims, Vanessa Gay, managed to escape. The police then found remains of the 11 women stashed in nooks and crannies of his house, including crawlspaces, and buried in his yard. Infamously, the skull of a victim was also found in a bucket in his home.

As per A&E Anthony Sowell's victims were all African-American women, mostly between the ages of 44 to 53, who were lured to his house with promises of drugs and alcohol. He would r*pe them first and then strangle them to death.

Since many of these women battled addiction or mental health issues, they were often not reported as missing, or their cases were neglected until it was too late. His victims were:

1) Diane Turner

Diane Turner, 38, mother of six, was Anthony Sowell's final victim in September 2009. She abused drugs and was often in and out of rehabilitation programs. Her body was discovered on the third floor of Sowell's house.

2) Telacia Fortson

This 31-year-old with three children was arrested multiple times before she was reported missing in June 2009.

3) Janice Webb

She was 48, battling drug addiction, and disappeared in June 2009, which was reported a month afterward.

4) Tonia Carmichael

Tonia, 53, mother of three, was the first victim to be identified from Anthony Sowell's home. She initially went missing in the fall of 2009.

5) Amelda 'Amy' Hunter

This 47-year-old mother of three disappeared in the spring of 2009 but was not reported until Sowell's victims were discovered. She also battled with drug addiction.

6) Nancy Cobbs

This 44-year-old had battled addiction and lived with five grandchildren. She was friends with Anthony Sowell and disappeared in April 2009. Her family reported her missing and although they knew of her friendship with Sowell, he was considered harmless.

7) Kim Smith

This 44-year-old struggled with drugs but adeptly took care of her disabled father. She disappeared in January 2009 but was not reported as missing at the time.

8) Michelle Mason

45-year-old Long was on the road to recovery from drug addiction. She was reported missing in October 2008 but was discovered later in Sowell's house.

9) Leshanda Long

The youngest victim at 25, only her skull was recovered. She was a mother of three, abused drugs, and went missing in August 2008.

10) Tishana Culver

This 33-year-old also struggled with drugs and had an erratic presence in the lives of her children and family. She went missing in June 2008 and her remains had to be identified by a coroner.

11) Crystal Dozier

She was 38 and went missing in May 2007. She had seven children, was addicted to drugs, and had gone missing before as well. Her body was found in Sowell's backyard next to a fence.

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What happened to the Cleveland Strangler?

A still of Anthony Sowell a.k.a the Cleveland Strangler (image via Oxygen)

Sowell was charged with several accounts of aggravated murder, r*pe, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. He had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but was convicted and sentenced to death in December 2011.

His appeals to the Supreme Court were rejected in 2016. He died in the Franklin Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio in February 2021, of an undisclosed terminal illness for which he was receiving end-of-life care.

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Watch Very Scary People in ID on December 15 at 9pm to find out more details.