A man arrested in the brutal murders of two women in Florida may have been a potential serial killer, authorities said.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina held a news conference Monday to announce the arrest of 24-year-old Carlos Yadiel Baez-Nieves in the killings of 41-year-old Fatia Flowers and 44-year-old Nichole Daniels.
Mina said the body of Flowers was discovered on March 14. Daniels' body was found near the same location on April 17.
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Investigators found video surveillance that showed Daniels entering a distinctive pickup truck at a 7-Eleven before her killing.
Mina said the truck belonged to Baez-Nieves, who was trying to sell the truck when he was arrested.
Baez-Nieves targeted transient women who traded sex for money, strangling them after having sex with them and pushing their bodies out of his truck, Mina said.
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During an interview with detectives, Baez-Nieves confessed to both killings, Mina said. He was booked into the Orange County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder.
"I'm very confident because of our detectives' relentless efforts in this case that they stopped Baez-Nieves from becoming a prolific serial killer," Mina said. "He targeted women who he clearly thought would not be missed. He murdered them and dumped their bodies on the side of the road like they were trash."
Mina said investigators were looking into whether Baez-Nieves, who's from Puerto Rico but came to the U.S. in 2020, may have committed any other murders.
"I think this is a person who's clearly capable of doing this and may have done it in the past," Mina said.
