A 26-year-old mid-Michigan man killed two women, intended to kill two more and texted a former girlfriend that he "had been ridding the demons of some dear friends of his," authorities said Friday.

Police found the bodies in separate locations after the man showed Eaton County sheriff's deputies cellphone photos of the bodies following a traffic stop on Interstate 69, about 108 miles (174 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.

Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth said the deputies "saved many more lives."

"There is no doubt the suspect was on a killing spree," Wriggelsworth said. "The investigation has identified two additional potential victims that the suspect had planned to kill. They have all been contacted and are all safe."

Neither of the other intended victims were the ex-girlfriend, investigators said.

Police began searching for the Delta Township man about 2:40 a.m. Friday after she reported that he was violating a personal protection order by knocking on her door and sending disturbing text messages.

In the texts, he stated that "he loved her so he spared her, and she would know what that meant soon," Wriggelsworth said. Another text said the suspect "had been ridding the demons of some dear friends of his."

Deputies pulled over the man's car within an hour. After the photos were seen on his cellphones, officers were sent to a home in Holt where the body of a 26-year-old woman was found. The body of a 32-year-old woman also was found in Meridian Township. Their names have not been released.

The suspect was being held Friday in the Eaton County Jail on unrelated warrants, pending charges in the slayings.