At least 11 bodies in sex offender Cleveland home

At least 11 victims were confirmed by authorities in the Cleveland, Ohio, home of a registered sex offender.

The home's inhabitant, Anthony Sowell, 50, was arraigned Thursday on five charges of murder. He is accused of strangling and burying several women in and outside his house.

Eleven decomposing bodies have been found inside and outside the home -- six inside and five outside. A skull, wrapped in a paper bag and stuffed into a bucket in the basement, apparently is all that remains of the 11th victim, authorities said Wednesday. Officers will continue to search Sowell's house for more victims.

The smell permeated the neighborhood, turning the stomachs of residents. "We used to think that it was coming from out of Ray's Sausage," said one resident: "I live right there and ..., these smells would just be horrible."

"This is without question the most serious set of allegations I've been exposed to," said municipal court judge Ronald Adrine, refusing bail due to the macabre nature of the crimes and defendant Anthony Sowell's past criminal history.

Defense lawyers argued unsuccessfully that Sowell should be granted bail as he had a heart condition that required him to wear a pacemaker.

"The state believes he is an incredibly dangerous threat to the public," assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Brian Murphy told the arraignment hearing.

According to the prosecution, Sowell faces the death penalty if found guilty of the murders.

Source: Xinhuanet/Agencies