RICHFIELD, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said "it's fair" to call Samuel Legg a serial killer and believes more indictments are coming against the former long-distance truck driver.
During an interview with News 5 at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation lab in Richfield, Yost was asked how many murders Legg could be connected to.
"It's an open question at the moment. There may be more than three (in Ohio)," Yost said.
Yost praised scientists at the Richfield and London labs for using familial DNA to unlock multiple cold case mysteries.
"The familial DNA is how we were able to work step by step by step to Samuel Legg," he said.
The AG explained that BCI agents had a DNA sample from an unsolved murder that happened in the '90s. The location of that homicide hasn't been revealed.
RELATED: Samuel Legg has been charged with murder and rape as more cold cases are expected to reopen
Investigators didn't have a DNA match to link a suspect, but a few months ago, scientists used specialized computer software program to compare the DNA sample against a database that stores DNA records of 800,000 Ohio offenders.
The results revealed an intriguing family connection — a shared DNA profile.
"There was a brother who had been convicted of a completely unrelated crime, so his DNA was already in the database," Yost said.
After that, an extensive family tree investigation was launched, and police zeroed in on Legg, who had been a possible suspect in a 1997 rape of a 17-year-old girl in Westfield Township but wasn't prosecuted.
Armed with the new familial information, Medina County detectives flew to Arizona and obtained a DNA swab from Legg.
BCI did further testing and got a match that linked Legg to not only the 1997 rape but also to four unsolved homicides — three in Ohio and one in Illinois.
RELATED: Samuel Legg's DNA linked to 4 homicides, and authorities say it's possible there are more
Legg, 49, appeared in Medina County Common pleas last week on two counts of rape.
Hours later, he was indicted for the 1992 Mahoning County murder of Sharon Kedzierski. Her badly beaten body was found behind a truck stop.
RELATED: Man accused of 1997 Medina rape has now been charged with 1992 Austintown murder
Yost declined to release the other Ohio jurisdictions that are investigating Legg for old murders.
"We think that the other homicides, in due course, will be indicted as well."
In the meantime, Yost stressed the work in the crime lab and by multiple agencies is bringing justice to several families that have waited decades to get it.
"Justice happens one case at a time. Never on accident. Always on purpose."
RELATED: DNA links man to 1997 Medina County cold case rape, 4 homicides
