Police are saying that the slaying of a Denver tourist in northwest may be connected to two similar assaults in the area.

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MPD said the assaults were in the 4th District in a 10-block radius within about 27 hours. None of the victims knew each other.

The victim killed, Gary Dederichs, 66, is from Denver. His body was left in an alley in northwest.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier said Thursday that all three victims suffered head trauma and appear to have been attacked suddenly and without provocation.

Lanier says there's no apparent motive for the attacks and no similarity between the victims other than they were walking alone.

The other two victims were a 53-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman.

Police say that Dederichs was found lifeless in the 800 block of Emerson Street NW on Tuesday evening, a few blocks from Sherman Circle. He was suffering from apparent head injuries. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

The other male victim was attacked at Georgia and Emerson Streets at about 3 a.m. Wednesday. Then at about 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, the woman was also attacked in the 5600 block of 9th Street. Those two victims remain hospitalized.

Police will be going door-to-door in the Petworth area Thursday, warning residents not to walk alone.

Police say Dederichs was a retired registered nurse in his native Denver. He had recently registered to a travel website for people looking for short-term vacation homes.

Lt. Robert Alder says Dederichs was killed near a rental property where he had been staying during his visit. Alder says he cannot remember the last time police had a case where a tourist was the victim of a homicide in the city.

Police believe a weapon was used in the beating, but they aren't releasing any details. 

Dederichs' death is being investigated as a homicide.

Police ask anyone with information about the murder to contact them at (202) 727-9099.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.