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But when they spoke with the 23-year-old, he admitted to killing the woman and confessed to killing two more people missing in Tennessee and Georgia, the authorities said.
Wright, 23, is now facing three counts of murder for allegedly killing all three people.
The victims were all related to the carnival of James H. Drew. Athina Hopson, 25, and Elizabeth Marie Vanmeter, 22, were employed there; Joslyn Alsup, 17, was the daughter of a carnival worker, authorities said.
"We will pray for the families of the victims and continue to work with the forces of order," said Carnival staff in a statement.
Wright did not work for the carnival himself, but he occasionally worked for a cattle show called "Pony Express" that would bring animals to the same events.
At the time of the murders, Wright was no longer working with "Pony Express", announced the carnival. CNN sought the advice of Pony Express.
Sheriff Fred Newman, of Washington County, Va., Said the 18-day killing spree only ended because Wright had been a victim of a major road accident a few days after the accident. death of the third woman.
Newman said it was his intention to contact other jurisdictions that hosted the carnival to find out if there were other missing persons.
Wright told the police that the murders were all accidental, but the authorities were skeptical, Newman said.
"We find that hard to believe based on the information we have," Newman said.
Wright is currently being held without bail in Southwestern Virginia Regional Prison in Abingdon, Virginia, police said. We did not know immediately if he had a lawyer.
Three missing women
The investigation began about two weeks ago, when the Johnson City Police Department in Tennessee contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office for questioning a man in Washington County as part of the investigation. 39, a case of missing person. Athina Hopson, the 25-year-old missing Tennessee, was last seen with Wright. The sheriff's office interrogated him, authorities said.
On the basis of this interview, the authorities then obtained a search warrant for Wright's truck, which had suffered significant damage during the crash of a school bus on March 19. Hopson's mobile phone was found in the truck, authorities said.
The authorities then obtained and executed a search warrant for Wright's home on May 9, police said. On the same day, he went to the sheriff's office and told Tennessee detectives about the missing people's case and admitted to killing three women, the authorities said.
One victim was identified as Elizabeth Marie Vanmeter, 22, from Carter County, Tennessee. She was killed on or about February 28, and Wright said his death was the result of an argument, according to the sheriff's office.
On or about March 9, Wright allegedly shot and killed Joslyn Alsup, 17, from Cobb County, Georgia. She was reported missing the day before, the authorities said.
Finally, Wright reportedly shot at Hopson on or about March 17, according to the authorities. While he was carrying it to the back of his truck, his body fell off the truck and rolled on an embankment near a bridge. He then put his body in the river, authorities said.
Newman said it was his intention to contact other jurisdictions that hosted the carnival to find out if there were other missing persons.
The bodies of Vanmeter and Alsup were found in the properties surrounding Wright's residence, authorities said. One body was found in a shallow pit and another near logs, Newman said. Hopson's body has not been found yet.
The sheriff's office said it was only provisionally able to identify the victims based on Wright's statements, but that a positive identification will be made public on the basis of the Autopsy records.
Chuck Johnston and Rebekah Riess of CNN contributed to this report.
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