Coroner: Women in Cleveland home strangled

CLEVELAND, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The six women whose bodies were found in a convicted rapist's home in Cleveland appear to have been strangled, the coroner said Saturday.

Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller III said all six bodies showed signs of "homicidal violence," CNN reported. Miller said he could not determine yet how long the women had been dead.

Anthony Sowell, 50, was arrested Saturday morning, two days after police discovered the first bodies in his house. Officers went there Thursday with an arrest warrant stemming from an alleged rape a month ago.

Sowell was being held on the rape charge and had not been charged with homicide late Saturday, The Cleveland Plain Dealer said.

Allen Sowell said his younger brother rented the third floor of the house, which had belonged to their father and grandfather, from their stepmother when he was released from prison in 2005 after serving 15 years for rape. Allen said he has not seen his stepmother for months.

Police said two of the bodies were found on the third floor, one buried in the basement, two hidden in a crawl space and one buried in the yard.