Internet link to barrel murders

The Kansas pond is being checked for more bodies

A man who looked for sadomasochistic sex over the internet is the prime suspect in the deaths of five women, whose bodies were found stuffed in barrels.

John Edward Robinson: Sex assault charges

After the arrest of John Edward Robinson, 56, last week the police found two bodies at his home in La Cygne, Kansas.

Three more bodies were found in barrels on Monday at a storage unit rented by him about 30 miles (50 km) away, in Raymore, Missouri.

Mr Robinson, 56, appeared in court the same day and was charged with sexually assaulting two women.

Lisa Stasi: Disappeared with baby daughter

About 20 investigators are continuing to search a pond on his property at La Cygne.

"I hope there are no more bodies," said Chris Koster, a county prosecutor from the state of Missouri.

A post-mortem on one victim showed an attack to the head, and post-mortems on the others are expected to show similar injuries, Mr Koster said.

Dead for years?

The task of identifying the women is proving very difficult.

It is thought some of them have been dead for months, even years.

Baby search: Tiffany Stasi

And the case has been complicated by the fact that the suspect found many of his sexual partners through anonymous internet chat rooms when he used the screen name "slave master".

Local prosecutor Paul Morrison said he did not think any more bodies would be found.

But, he confirmed that investigators are also looking at the possibility the arrested man was involved in the 1985 disappearance of 19-year-old Lisa Stasi and her 5-month-old daughter Tiffany.

Ms Stasi was last seen at a motel in Olathe, Kansas, where John Edward Robinson had arranged to meet her.