A womans harrowing escape from a Missouri basement where she was sexually assaulted and held captive for weeks made national headlines earlier this month.

On Friday, the nonprofit newspaper The Kansas City Defender reported another disturbing factor in the case. Around the time of the womans disappearance from a Kansas City neighborhood, community members had reportedly expressed worry about a possible serial killer, citing the disappearance of multiple Black women and girls. But Kansas City Police dismissed their concerns.