Girls Might Have Been Dead More Than a Year, Police Say

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Police Look for Clues in Frozen Corpses Deaths

Officials are focusing on the backyard at the former home of a woman suspected of killing two of three adopted daughters and keeping one in a freezer.

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The girl "thought the world of him," Detective Sgt. Moore said.

Officials identified him as Joe C. Dickerson and said he was cooperative during an interview. They would not say what he had told them when asked about the bodies in the freezer. They said he visited Bowman at her home frequently but did not live there.

Attempts to locate Dickerson for comment were unsuccessful.

The 7-year-old was placed in the custody of the Maryland Department of Human Resources after a court hearing that was closed to the public.

The girl remained in the hospital late yesterday afternoon, and she was scheduled to be placed with a Calvert foster family, officials said.

The Department of Human Resources said it had found no records of any child abuse or neglect complaints about this family.

Staff writers Aaron C. Davis, Daniel de Vise, Paul Duggan, Hamil R. Harris, Nikita Stewart and Ovetta Wiggins and staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.