TATE COUNTY, MS (abc24.com) - The search for a suspected Mississippi highway killer has investigators working overtime.
"Everyone is on high alert because we don't know when they are going to strike again," said Victor Byrd, Chief Deputy for the Tate County Sheriff's Office.
Byrd gave abc24.com a rare look into the hunt for a killer as he patrolled Interstate 55. It was the same stretch of highway, some 30 miles to the south, where Tom Schlender, 72, was gunned down last week. Days later, Lori Carswell, 47, was murdered as she drove home from work at a Tunica casino.
"The word is going around a possible imposter, impersonating the police, so we are always obviously looking for a car that might be a Crown Vic," Byrd said.
Investigators haven't confirmed the two shootings are the work of a police impersonator, but they haven't ruled it out, either.
As his eyes darted up and down the highway, Byrd looked for any sign of a suspicious vehicle.
"If we see one we will write down the tag # on piece of paper," he said. "Obviously we are looking for any type of unmarked car trying to pull over a vehicle or has a vehicle pulled over."
Through it all, Byrd also worked his phone, getting a tip from a police officer in Oklahoma.
"Not saying he's the one doing this there, but wanted to make sure we were aware of who he was and and possibly what he may be driving," Byrd stated.
Byrd says he's heard from the community, and he and his fellow officers are feeling the pressure to get this investigation solved before a killer can strike again.
"It gets my blood boiling a little bit because I worry about my wife," Byrd said.
