CLEVELAND (RNS) Two dozen ministers from this city’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood called for unity and prayer Thursday (Nov. 5) to help the community cope with the murders of nearly a dozen women nearby.

The pastors met at Providence Baptist Church to pray for the victims and their families, the residents of the neighborhood, and even for Anthony Sowell, the man charged with five of the slayings.

“He needs our prayers too,” said Rodney Maiden, pastor of the host church.

The clergy urged families of missing people to provide DNA samples to help authorities identify the other victims, and they cautioned people not to judge the victims because of their lifestyles. Women who had accused Sowell of attacking them had previous arrests for offenses such as solicitation and drug offenses.

The group also asked people not to point fingers of blame because the killings had not been detected earlier.

“We are praying for our city today,” said Pastor Larry Tatum of the New Sardis Baptist Church. “We are praying for anyone that has a missing family member that you (God) might give them peace and comfort.”

The pastors are also organizing a prayer service on Sunday.

Mount Olive Pastor Larry Harris Sr. told the crowd of 50 church members, local funeral home employees, and community leaders that the community had lacked the “necessary antennae” to notice the women’s disappearances and link them.

“We’re not going to allow it to be that way any further,” he said.

Reed joined the pastors in their call not to blame anyone for delays in stopping the killings. But he renewed his call for an investigation into why the dead bodies weren’t detected earlier even after complaints were made about Sowell and the house.