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Prince George's County police say the purses of the mother and daughter found dead Monday in Largo are missing, and are continuing to urge residents to alert authorities if keys have been stolen from their homes.

The purses of Delores Renee Dewitt, 42, and Ebony Dewitt, 19, are described as a multi-colored Fossil purse and a black patent leather purse with a large Cadillac emblem in the center. The bodies of the two women were found Monday morning in a burning car that had been reported stolen.

County police believe keys to the stolen car involved in the homicide may have been stolen weeks earlier, and are urging residents to call police if they notice keys from their homes have been stolen.

During a packed neighborhood meeting Wednesday in the cafeteria of Phyllis E. Williams Elementary School, Lt. William Rayle, commander of the county homicide department's criminal investigative division, said police are following 30 leads regarding the deaths of the Dewitts.

The bodies, found in a light-colored Nissan Maxima sedan, were discovered within two miles of the Largo home of Karen Lofton, 45, and her 16-year-old daughter, Karissa Lofton, who were found dead Jan. 26, also early on a Monday.

Rayle warned the roughly 100 residents who attended the meeting to make sure their home and car keys are accounted for and to lock windows and doors.

Police found the bodies of Delores Dewitt and her daughter in a stolen car that had been burned in a driveway in the 11100 block of Webbwood Court in Largo, minutes after the car's owner reported the theft. The owner of the stolen car told police later that day a spare set of keys had been stolen in February from the owner's Woodlawn Boulevard home, said Ofc. Evan Baxter, a police spokesman.

Bernadine Conrad, whose home is next to the driveway where the car was discovered, woke to the sound of the combustion shortly after 3 a.m. She called 911.

"I heard what sounded like a bomb. I thought it was an airplane from Andrews [Air Force Base]," said Conrad, 70. "I went to the window — the whole court was lit up amber bright; the car was engulfed in flames."

The Dewitts' bodies were found less than two miles from their home in the 9700 block of Cedarhollow Lane.

The Loftons were found dead around 2:50 a.m. at 10800 Southall Drive, about 20 minutes after Karissa called 911 and told police she and her mother had been shot, police said. They were dead by the time police arrived.

Police said in the days after the Loftons' death they had found no signs of forced entry at the home or an indication that anything had been stolen. Baxter said he is not aware of the Loftons reporting any burglaries or break-ins in the weeks or months before their deaths.

Detectives investigating the two sets of homicides are looking into other reported burglaries in the area, but Baxter said he was not aware of any increase in break-ins.

Ramon Korionoff, a spokesman for the Prince George's County State's Attorney's office, said autopsy reports for the Dewitts will be part of an ongoing investigation and likely won't soon be released publicly. Staff at the medical examiner's office in Baltimore said they are not allowed to give any additional information.

Baxter said he does not know whether investigators believe the homicides were committed by the same individual. Investigators have released few details about the examination, he said.

At the Wednesday meeting, Rayle asked residents to use extra security measures and to stay in close touch with neighbors as new leads are pursued.

"If you don't know your neighbors, it's a good time to do that. Notice their trends, what time they leave for work and the car they drive. This is a great time for the community to come closer together," he said.

Rayle, Police District 2 Commander Maj. Anita Rosser and Police Chief Roberto Hylton told the community that they were getting little sleep — no more than 30 minutes to two hours a day — because solving this case is the force's top priority and they won't stop until the homicides are solved.

"The smallest minute details sometimes bring these cases to conclusion," Rayle said. "[We're talking about] an hour- and-40-minute timeline. Somebody in the community saw something — someone walking down the street, a dog barking. Anything would greatly assist [us]."

Police have created a task force led by Maj. Daniel Dusseau, head of the police department's crimes unit, which has officers investigating the two sets of homicides. Police are working in shifts 24 hours a day. And a safety seminar March 28 is designed to help residents ward off burglaries and attackers.

The homicides have spurred many neighbors to tighten security in their own homes.

"It makes you think," said Largo resident Barbara Scott, 59. "I have an alarm on my house, but when I'm home during the day I'm going to start turning it on, not just at night."

Roderick Taylor, 52, who lives on the street where the burning car was found, described the neighborhood as quiet and peaceful.

"We need to try to be more aware of people, if we see anybody [unusual]," he said. "In these days and times, we have to be more aware of our surroundings."

Pauline Staffers, 82, said she just wants to be safe in her own neighborhood.

"I have an alarm system and I have storm doors," she said. "I've done all the things I can do."

A $25,000 award is being offered for information leading to arrests in each case.

Anyone with information about the cases may call the Prince George's County Police Department's Homicide Unit at 301-772-4925. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477 or text "PGPD plus your message" to CRIMES (274637) or visit www.pgpolice.org to submit a tip online.

E-mail Liz Skalski at eskalski@gazette.net.

E-mail Greg Holzheimer at gholzheimer@gazette.net.