An officer confirms that there is now a man related to five dead

NEW YORK – Authorities continue to investigate claims of a man accused of murder in New Jersey who has said he killed a total of 16 people in several states, although a police officer confirmed Sunday that he was the main suspect in the murder his ex-wife and three other people were found in a car in New Mexico.

Local police officials in New Mexico and New Jersey are working with federal agents on the veracity of Sean Lannon’s claims, including that he killed 11 other people, the official said. The official, who had direct knowledge of the probe, was unable to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Authorities said in court documents that Lannon, 47, made the admission in a phone call to a relative, who told investigators he expressed remorse.

Investigators are looking for records of missing persons and other police reports to try to identify potential victims and determine if he was telling the truth during the confession, according to the official. Investigators are still reviewing electronic documents, communications, surveillance videos and financial documents as part of the investigation and are working to try to locate additional witnesses in the case, the official said.

Police officers are also trying to gather additional information to better understand why he was in St. Louis. Louis, where he was arrested on March 10th.

The case began on March 5, when the bodies of Lannon’s ex-wife and three other people were found in a vehicle in a garage at Albuquerque International Sunport, New Mexico’s largest airport. It is not clear how they were killed. Police say three of them were missing in January from Grants, about 130 miles west of Albuquerque. The victims were identified as Jennifer Lannon, 39; Matthew Miller, 21; Jesten Mata, 40; and Randal Apostalon, 60.

Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos Jr. said Sunday that of the four bodies found at the airport it appeared one had been killed in Albuquerque “and that’s what our detectives are focusing on,” while the other three they appeared to have been killed in the Grants area of ​​Cibola County.

“Shortly after Lannon’s arrest, our detectives went to St. Louis and interviewed him about the case,” he said. “Right now, we’re still looking for evidence, doing search warrants and talking to a lot of people, but no one has been charged yet.”

On March 8, three days after the remains were found in New Mexico, Michael Dabkowski’s body was discovered at his home in New Jersey, just south of Philadelphia, after a welfare check. According to an affidavit, Lannon is accused of breaking in and beating the 66-year-old man with a hammer. Gloucester County prosecutors announced on March 10 that Lannon was charged with multiple counts of homicide, theft, robbery, theft of motor vehicles and counting of weapons.

Prosecutors said during Friday’s arrest hearing that he said he killed all four of those found in a vehicle and “11 other people,” NJ.com reported. Lannon has only been charged with death in New Jersey.

Chris Whitman, Jennifer Lannon’s brother, said Sean Lannon told family in January that Jennifer had “fled” with some friends, possibly in Arizona, and Whitman told the AP Saturday that the story didn’t sound right. because “she was a great mother and it would simply not be characteristic not to be with her children.”

Lannon told investigators that Dabkowski had sexually abused him as a child and had gone home to retrieve sexually explicit photos. Dabkowski advised Lannon and his twin brother through a Big Brothers program in the 1980s, NJ.com reported.

Whitman said the family was unaware of the alleged abuse. In fact, he said he met Dabkowski at the birthday party of one of Lannon’s kids a couple of years ago and everything looked fine.

“I knew he was a close friend, just a close friend of Sean’s, and that he was a father figure,” Whitman said. “But other than that, we didn’t know anything else.”