Another Death

Last night, the man accused of killing and cannibalizing five people in Georgia added one more name to his list of victims... his own. Early this morning, police found Alexander D. Holt, age 67, dead in his cell. Police are calling the death a suicide.

"We found him hanging in his cell at approximately 4:30 this morning," said Sheriff Cook. "He had fashioned a noose from a bed-sheet and hung himself from the bars. There was no note or any kind of message, nor were there any behaviors indicating that he was... suicidal. Holt just decided to take his own life rather than answer our questions and face the consequences of his actions."

Quite a few questions still remain. So far, police have not located the remains of Angela Stilton, Saretta Lewis, Jamie Anderson and Henrietta Bolsom, who are believed to be victims of Alexander Holt. The women were reported missing from areas in and around Macon, GA. Clothing and items belonging to each woman were found inside the home of Alexander Holt, along with the mutilated, partially eaten remains of Bonnie Hand, who was abducted here in Henry County four nights ago. Police were tipped off by one of Holt's neighbors who found the remains of Bonnie Hand's dog while jogging past the Holt residence. When police arrived to investigate, Holt resisted violently and had to be restrained by officers while they searched the house.

Another question on everyone's mind is: was there an accomplice? Police have been extremely non-committal... saying that because of Holt's age he may have needed an accomplice to move and mutilate the bodies. However, no evidence of another person's involvement was found in the house, and neighbors confirmed to police that Holt lived alone and had few, if any, visitors.

From the time of arrest, Holt had remained completely silent, refusing to answer questions or speak with doctors. With Holt's death, the police's job of piecing together just what at the Henry County 'House of Horrors' will be much harder.

"A Very Strange Man"

Even several days after his arrest, very little is known about Alexander D. Holt. He lived alone and paid all his bills in cash. Police found a substantial sum of cash in the house, although they would not reveal the amount. When speaking to real estate agents concerning the purchase of his house Holt claimed to be from the upper New England area, however, police have yet to locate any records placing him there. Holt drove an unassuming 1995 Ford minivan, which is now in police custody. He bought the van used from a local dealer, paying for it in full with cash. Police believe that this was the van used to abduct four women in Macon, GA.

Until recently, police have asked Holt's neighbors not to speak with the press until investigators had taken statements. Now, for the first time since the horrible events began unfolding, neighbors of Alexander Holt were allowed to talk about the man that many have come to call the "Henry County Butcher."

"He was a very strange man," said Marilyn Boyce, who lived next door to Holt. "Kept to himself a lot... He's lived there for a couple of years, but he never came to introduce himself or anything."

"He was gone a lot," added Tom Boyce, "Especially right after he moved in. He'd carry loads of boxes into the house all by himself... no help or anything. Then he'd drive away and we wouldn't see him for weeks. We never saw anyone else ever go into that house."

Vance McGill lived in the house just behind Holt's. He recalls the one time that he met Alexander Holt:

"Me and the missus went around there to the front door not too long after he moved it. Wanted to introduce myself, you know. He came to the door and spoke to us for a minute or two, but never did let us into the house. He didn't even offer. He didn't seem nervous or anything, just preoccupied. Like we was takin' him away from something. He seemed like a normal enough guy... kind of animated for his age, but nothing strange about that... I asked what he did and he said he collected books. 'Rare books,' is what he said exactly. I would have loved to see some of 'em, but now I'm glad I never went into that house. My God, if we had gone in there, we may have never come out."

Vance went on to relate some strange events at the Holt residence:

"He was a really quiet neighbor up until a few months ago. Our house is closer to his than any of the others, and sometimes we'd hear people shouting really loud at night. I say 'people' but I think it was only him. I never saw anyone there but him. No visitors. It didn't happen very often, but every once in a while we'd hear him yelling like he was scolding someone. We could never understand what he was saying... I think it was in another other language. Maybe German. He'd start shouting in German or whatever, but I never heard anyone answer back. I only heard one voice. It'd go on for ten, twenty minutes and then it'd be real quiet, just like always. We thought about calling the police one time, seeing as how he's an old man and all, but... we never did. I'm sorry we didn't now, because he was probably yelling at those women he kidnapped. Screaming at them before he killed them."

Police were quite interested in Vance's tales of shouting disturbances at the Holt residence, but they refused to confirm whether the events corresponded with the disappearances of Angela Stilton, Saretta Lewis, Jamie Anderson, and Henrietta Bolsom.

Neighbors further away hardly knew Holt at all, some saying that the first time they had even heard of him was when police arrested him Friday morning.

"This is usually a close-knit neighborhood," said Anna James, another neighbor. "But this guy just sorta slipped in. I've driven past that house several times a day, but the only reason I knew someone was living there was because the grass was cut. He must have really kept to himself. But I guess they all do..."