Police comb south Florida for Versace's killer

Latest developments:

'Nobody's safe' -- FBI
Evidence points to serial killer
Map of Cunanan Trail
Fashion world mourns

July 16, 1997
Web posted at: 2:06 p.m. EDT (1806 GMT)

MIAMI BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- Law enforcement officers searched south Florida Wednesday for Andrew Cunanan, an accused serial killer who they believe shot and killed fashion designer Gianni Versace.

Jim Chambliss of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said police had received a number of tips, "some promising, some not."

Chambliss said Florida authorities were continuing to work on the assumption that Cunanan remains in the south Florida area, but did not rule out the possibility that the killer had left the country already.

Chief Jim Chambliss of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement:
	On whether Cunanan might be a threat to Miami residents ... (111 K/11 sec. AIFF or WAV) sound ... and whether he might still be in Miami. (77 K/6 sec. AIFF or WAV) sound

'Nobody's safe'

The FBI said authorities did not know if Cunanan knew Versace and added that nobody was safe as long as Cunanan was at large.

"Some people are thinking that because they don't belong to a particular group or something, they're going to be safe from this fellow. Nobody's safe," said FBI agent Paul Philip. "We can't tell whether this was a relationship, whether he just met the fellow, or whether he saw something in the press. We don't know what set him off. So we're all going to be looking for him because we're all at risk until he's caught."

Versace died Tuesday after a gunman described as a white male in his 20s walked up to him in front of Versace's Miami Beach mansion and shot him twice in the head.

Evidence points to serial killer

Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Barreto said investigators linked Cunanan, described as a homosexual male prostitute who services wealthy men, to the Versace shooting by a red pickup truck. Police believe the suspect stole the vehicle after allegedly killing his last victim, a cemetery worker in New Jersey who was found dead May 9.

A red truck matching the description was towed from a parking lot near the crime scene. Bloody clothing also was found near the truck.

Barreto said other evidence linked Cunanan, 27, to the crime but would not elaborate. He said some clothes had been recovered but he didn't know what they meant to the investigation.

"Cunanan is well educated, well dressed and is very articulate," Barreto said, "Cunanan should be considered extremely dangerous and armed at this time."

Map of Cunanan Trail

Cunanan is also the prime suspect in the late April and May killings of two former lovers, both in the Minneapolis area, and of a Chicago businessman.

Barreto would not say if the murder weapon was recovered, but he did say Versace was killed with a handgun and that Cunanan is believed to be armed with a handgun. He said the suspect fled the murder scene on foot.

Fashion world mourns

The scene of the killing outside Versace's mansion on Ocean Drive became a memorial over night. Dozens of people have come to leave flowers, markers, even poems at the site.

Those who knew Versace and those who were just curious continued to visit the scene Wednesday.

The fashion world has been shocked by Versace's murder. From Tokyo to Moscow to Rome people expressed their grief.

In Sydney, Australia, a small printed sign announced that Versace's flagship store would be closed for trading until Thursday.

And sales staff at Versace's Singapore store said it was appropriate to change the color scheme of the store to black to mark the designer's death.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Message Board: Post your comments on the Versace shooting

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

Andrew Phillip Cunanan - FBI 10 Most Wanted
Giani Versace - from Moda Online Magazine
Versace Home Page - from VIABAZAAR, a web site dedicated to the best of Italian fashion
Gianni Versace - Designs
Made in Italy: Versace
Versace - Shopping Guide
Gianni Versace: On-Line

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

Sound off on our message boards

Tell us what you think!

You said it...