The RCMP finally confirmed yesterday what many in Edmonton have suspected and feared for years: A serial killer is preying on the city's sex workers and dumping their bodies in rural fields.

"The person responsible for these homicides is going to be somebody's neighbour. He may be somebody's brother. But he will likely not look like the monster that we see in the movies," RCMP Constable Tamara Bellamy told reporters.

Since 1988, at least 12 Edmonton women, a number of whom were prostitutes, have been killed. Many of the bodies have been found in fields south of the city; some have even been burned. Another two women have been missing since last year.

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The RCMP's behavioural science department in Ottawa believes the person who is behind the gruesome crimes probably likes to fish and hunt, enjoys the outdoors, drives either a truck, van or sport utility vehicle and may clean the vehicle at odd times. He may also live or work, or have friends or family, in places south of Edmonton such as Leduc and Camrose.

But police are not comfortable officially labelling him a serial killer "because it seems to be terminology that is sensationalized by the media, by movies," Constable Bellamy said.

"The definition of a serial killer, as our behavioural sciences refer to, is someone who is responsible for more than one murder with a cooling-off period in between those murders. We are referring to this subject as a serial offender."

Police also would not release the number of cases they are linking to the killer, or the time frame. However, they did say he appears to be favouring three areas southeast of the city for disposing of the bodies.

"Where enough evidence is obtained to give investigators reasonable and probable grounds to lay those charges, then and only then will we be truly in a position to be able to say how many cases we believe, based on evidence, a single person or persons is responsible for," said RCMP Corporal Wayne Oakes.

For the first time in this case, police are offering a $100,000 reward for the killer's arrest and conviction.

Many families of the dead women, all of whom had a high-risk lifestyle, are upset about the pace of the investigation, which is being handled by an RCMP-led task force dubbed Project Kare.

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"This may sound ignorant and vulgar, but it's the truth: If it would have been an RCMP officer's daughter or [Alberta Premier]Ralph Klein's daughter, it would have been taken care of a long time ago," said Myles Lake, a 52-year-old truck driver from Moose Jaw.

His 29-year-old daughter, Debbie Lake, was found in a field on April 12, 2003, near Camrose. The married mother of four had been missing since November, 2002, after last telling someone she was going to make a call at a pay phone. Only her skull was recovered.

"How many girls is it going to take to catch this person? It's getting as bad as that pig farmer down in B.C.," Mr. Lake said.

In Vancouver, RCMP are investigating the disappearance of more than 60 women, many of them prostitutes. Pig farmer Robert Pickton has been charged in the deaths of 27 of them. If convicted, he would be the worst serial killer in Canadian history.

Since his daughter's death, Mr. Lake has felt so frustrated over the pace of the Edmonton investigation that he has taken to the streets to do his own interviews.

"I swear I did more footwork than the cops did," he said, adding he still does not believe the RCMP's assertion that his daughter was a street prostitute.

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He said even simple things, such as submitting an updated picture of his daughter to the Project Kare team, who work in a downtown office tower, were not easy. "I sent it to them, but they've done nothing about it," he said with a sigh.

Neil Boyd, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., said this type of crime is particularly hard to solve because the victims often lead transient and isolated lives, and it is not unusual that the police appear to be holding back information from the public.

"I think people have to appreciate that the police have to be very careful about the information they provide publicly because it's an ongoing investigation and they don't want to jeopardize that," he said. About 40 officers are involved with Project Kare.

Prof. Boyd added that while Vancouver's experience with a serial killer who preyed on prostitutes may seem similar, it is unlikely police can learn many lessons from that investigation. "Every situation is going to be quite different."

This week, Alberta Justice Minister Ron Stevens called on Ottawa to allow the collection of DNA samples from convicted clients of prostitutes in an effort to help solve the Edmonton slayings.

There are estimates that 400 to 500 street prostitutes work in Edmonton. Most of them have severe drug addictions. Charlene Gauld, 20, whose burned body was found in April in woods near Camrose, was waiting to get into a methadone program before she disappeared.

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Bodies discovered

The bodies of a dozen women who had high-risk lifestyles were found in Edmonton and the surrounding area since 1988. Police believe the same person killed them all.

Georgette Flint

Sept. 13, 1988: Just west of Elk Island National Park, 35 km east of Edmonton

Bernadette Lynda Ahenakew

Oct. 24, 1989: On a rural road, North Clover Bar Road, about 2 km north of Hwy 16, near Sherwood Park.

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Cara King

Sept. 1, 1997: Hwy. 214 and Hwy. 16, just inside Sherwood Park.

Kelly Dawn Reilly

Jan. 27, 2001: Range Road 264, north of secondary Hwy. 633, near Villeneuve.

Edna Bernard

Sept. 23, 2002: Near Leduc at Range Road 245, 1.5 km north of Hwy. 623.

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Monique Pitre

Jan. 8, 2003: Range Road 222 and Township Road 540.

Melissa Munch

Jan. 12, 2003: Range Road 220, south of Hwy. 16.

Debbie Darlene Lake

April 12, 2003: Hwy. 623, near Miquelon Lake Provincial Park

Katie Sylvia Ballentyne

July 7, 2003: Range Road 235, 15-16 km east of Leduc and just north of Township Road 500.

Rachel Liz Quinney

June 11, 2004: Northeast of Sherwood Park at Township Road 540 and Range Road 224.

Charlene Marie Gauld

Apr. 16, 2005: Near an oil well off Hwy 632, north of Camrose.

Ellie May Meyer

May 6, 2005: Farm field near Hwy 21 and Township Road 534, east of Edmonton.