Police are holding a man from Gary, Indiana, who is connected to the death of a woman who was found in a motel in Hammond. While in police custody, the man confessed to killing three other women and police believe him to be a serial killer linked to various deaths over the years.

According to WGNTV, the 43-year-old man was initially arrested in connection to the murder of 19-year-old Afrika Hardy, who was found dead in a Motel 6 room in Hammond on Friday. A subsequent autopsy revealed she had been strangled.

Some sources speaking to the local news station say the unnamed man allegedly met Hardy on the site backpage.com, most likely as an escort. Police believe the other women may have been sex workers.

Evidence at the scene led police to the man, who has not yet been identified because he has not been formally charged.

ABC 7 reports one of the other victims has been identified as 35-year-old Anith Jones of Merrillville. Her body was found in an abandoned house on the 400-block of East 43rd Avenue in Gary.

"We'll have do a timeline backwards to see who the last person was that they talked to or who the last person it was they were with, and then the investigation can really take off," said Cpl. Gabrielle King of the Gary Police Department.

The other two victims have not been identified but are known to be female. One was found at a house in the 1800-block of East 19th Avenue, wearing a green hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, and the other at the 2200-block of Massachusetts Street, wearing blue jeans and Nike shoes.

The cause of death for the other three women is currently unknown, pending an investigation by the coroner's office.