ORLANDO, Fla. — A 25-year-old Orange County man was behind bars Monday after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder in a case that Sheriff John Mina said could have been just the beginning of a "prolific serial killer."

Carlos Yadiel Baez Nieves was identified as a suspect in the deaths of 41-year-old Fatia Flowers on March 4, and 44-year-old Nichole Daniels on April 17, Mina said.

According to detectives, both women were strangled to death and their bodies were dumped at the intersection of Trevarthon Road and Harrell Road — a location that was also not far from Baez Nieves' home, Mina said.

"Carlos Yadiel Baez Nieves targeted the most vulnerable women," Mina said. "Women who were transient, and who traded sex for money."

While investigating the deaths, detectives were told by other witnesses in the area where Daniels was last seen alive that they had noticed a suspicious white pickup truck recently. Upon reviewing surveillance video, Mina said investigators found footage that showed Daniels getting into a "very distinctive white Ford F-150 pickup truck the night before she was found dead."

According to investigators, Daniels was last seen alive at a gas station in the 1700 block of North Econlockhatchee Trail, while Flowers was last seen at a gas station in the 9300 block of East Colonial Drive.

According to an arrest affidavit in the case, license plate readers triggered at the time and in the area where Daniels was picked up helped investigators determine the vehicle's license plate number.

While actively investigating the case, a truck matching the one seen in the security video was found backed into a driveway on Creek Avenue in Orlando — about 1.6 miles from the intersection where their bodies were found, the affidavit said.

The truck's license plate matched the one collected by the license plate readers, investigators said.

The truck was later tied to Baez Nieves, who was actively trying to sell it, "no doubt to get rid of it and any evidence in the truck," Mina said.

In fact, while being watched by detectives, Baez Nieves actually sold the truck to a couple for $3,200, the affidavit said. Deputies stopped the truck a short time later and spoke with the occupants, who confirmed they had just purchased it from Baez Nieves.

Investigators seized the vehicle and took it back to the Orange County Sheriff's Office for processing.

That same day, Baez Nieves was pulled over by deputies and charged with driving on a suspended drivers license, and once in custody, he "ultimately confessed to the killing of both women," Mina said.

According to the arrest affidavit, after some questioning, Baez Nieves admitted to picking up both women at different gas stations for the purpose of paying for sex. 

He also allegedly admitted to strangling the women to death and dumping their bodies at the same intersection, saying that Daniels died while they were arguing about money, and Flowers during "rough sexual intercourse," the affidavit said.

The sheriff said he was confident that due to "our detectives' relentless efforts in this case, they stopped Baez Nieves from becoming a prolific serial killer."

"He targeted women who he clearly thought would not be missed," Mina said. "He murdered them and dumped their bodies on the side of the road like they were trash.

"Very, very grateful and thankful for our great detectives, who knew that Fatia's and Nichole's life were meaningful, and that they, of course, deserved justice like all of us."

Mina said that due to the nature of the two Orange County murders, investigators are looking into any similar cases that Baez Nieves may have a connection to in Orange County, or other areas.