A Florida man has been arrested on a second-degree murder charge after allegedly telling a hospital nurse he had killed four women while being treated following a suicide attempt, police said.
Venice police identified the suspect as 75-year-old Ronald Chester Racki and said he is accused of the 2024 disappearance and presumed death of 24-year-old Laikyn Marie West of Bradenton. West was reported missing in September 2024, and authorities allege new evidence links Racki to her suspected killing, although her body has not been found.
According to investigators, Racki was hospitalized in late December 2024 after what authorities described as a suicide attempt and was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for treatment. Medical records later obtained by detectives included a nurse’s note stating that Racki said he had “killed four women six weeks ago,” police wrote in a probable cause affidavit, according to People…