Crime | Lonnie David Franklin Jr. Cops Narrowly Missed 'Grim Sleeper' Twice Missed chance on DNA, staked out wrong house, By Emily Rauhala Posted Jul 15, 2010 5:19 AM CDT Copied Lonnie David Franklin, the alleged "Grim Sleeper" killer, in court. (AP Photo/Al Seib, Pool) The alleged serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper could have been stopped two years earlier if the police had collected his DNA. Lonnie David Franklin should have been added to a DNA database under a 2004 law called Proposition 69, finds the LA Times. He wasn't—apparently because it took the cops too long to get organized. "If only,” laments the mother of one of the victims. “Her life could have been possibly saved.” Tragically, it wasn't the only time investigators narrowly missed Franklin. In 1988, the LAPD staked out a house just three doors down from the suspected killers' home, reports LA Weekly. "We were very close," says one of the detectives on the case. "But not close enough." Click here for more on the case. Read These Next Minneapolis shooter had a plan—and grievances. American Taylor Townsend gets an earful after her US Open win. The Air Force has changed its tune on Ashli Babbitt. Open that wallet big time for a trip to Disney, if you can afford it. Report an error