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Does New England have a serial killer on the loose? Social media is convinced, but police say no
“Unverified claims can compromise active investigations and contribute to a sense of chaos that does not reflect the full picture."
Some internet sleuths are pointing to multiple New England incidents — 11 people who have been found dead in recent months — as the work of a serial killer.
Authorities say there’s no connection between the bodies found in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and now Massachusetts.
“While online conversations around these incidents continue to grow, we urge the public to be mindful of the role that social media can play in spreading fear or misinformation,” the Hampden District Attorney said in a statement after Meggan Meredith, 45, was found dead near a bike trail in Springfield last week. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.
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“Unverified claims can compromise active investigations and contribute to a sense of chaos that does not reflect the full picture,” the DA’s office continued.
“There is a serial ki!!er in my state”: Rumors and fear spread over TikTok
Some video creators who have weighed in on the deaths acknowledge that police deny any connection between the cases. Others, however, speak about the alleged serial killer’s existence as an established fact.
“There is a serial ki!!er (sic) in my state and remains were just found in the town over from me,” says a video with more than 3 million views on TikTok, with the tags New England and Connecticut. Another user claimed to have repeatedly “survived” the alleged serial killer; multiple videos have connected the rumors to the Smiley Face killer conspiracy theory.
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Another user, with the username yourtruecrimebestie, said she’s “almost certain” the alleged killer is a truck driver because the bodies were found near interstate highways.
“There is a very active serial killer stalking both women and men in southern New England right now,” a true crime and psychology content creator posted on TikTok, with the Law and Order theme as background music.
“I’m freaking out about this,” another user, one who doesn’t usually post true crime content, said. Women in other videos who say they live in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut are sharing that they’re scared to go on hikes; one said she packs two pocket knives in her clothes before hitting the trails.
One online theorist drew parallels to the Connecticut River Valley Killer, an unidentified serial killer believed to be active between 1978 and 1988 in New England. Seven women were found stabbed to death during that time, mostly in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Prosecutors, police say deaths aren’t connected
Police and prosecutors have said that there is no link between any of the recent cases. While four of the incidents being highlighted on social media are in Connecticut, Connecticut State Police said they are only involved in one of the investigations.
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“There is no information at this time suggesting any connection to similar remains discoveries,” a spokesperson for the agency said.
Police in a Rhode Island coastal town searched for bodies last week after an anonymous post in a Facebook group dedicated to New England serial killers. In a statement, Narragansett police said “the post alluded to the possibility that multiple bodies were buried in Black Point area of Scarborough Beach.”
While the anonymous poster said it was a metaphorical or literary work, Narragansett detectives with cadaver K9s “conducted an extensive search of the area” with no results. Narragansett police also contacted the FBI.
The FBI, Rhode Island State Police, and Massachusetts State Police did not return requests for comment.
Here are some of the cases driving online speculation about a potential serial killer.
March 6: Human skull found in Plymouth, Massachusetts
A human skull was found buried under leaves in Plymouth March 6, police said. The skull, which appeared to be weathered, was not identified by age or gender by police.
A few weeks later, police investigated an area in Plymouth near the area of South Street and Route 3 in the South Shore town.
March 6: New York woman found dead in Connecticut river
A woman who went missing March 5 was found dead in the Norwalk River in Wilton, Connecticut, according to Norwalk, Connecticut police.
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Police “believed the individual entered the Norwalk River and began their search,” the department said. Paige Fannon, 35, of West Islip, New York, was recovered from the fast-moving water. At the time, police said the investigation was ongoing.
March 20: Remains found in Groton, Connecticut, man charged with murder
Previously, some connected the supposed serial killer to a murder in Groton, Connecticut. Human remains were found near a cemetery on March 20, which was later identified as 58-year-old Suzanne Wormser, according to NBC Connecticut. A man, who knew Wormser, was arrested and charged with her murder.
March 25: Remains of Connecticut mother, 59, found, police say no signs of foul play
Denise Leary was reported missing on Sept. 30 in New Haven, Connecticut, and her family told NBC News that she struggled with mental health issues last summer. Police announced that her remains were found a short distance from her home on March 25.
New Haven police released a statement “addressing the rumors regarding Denise Leary.” Police said that while her cause of death was ruled “undetermined” by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, “there were no signs of foul play found during her autopsy.”
March 26: Remains of Rhode Island woman found
The remains of 56-year-old Michele Romano, of Warwick, Rhode Island, were found in a wooded area in Foster, Rhode Island, according to the Providence Journal. Romano had been missing since August, and investigators said “the suspicious circumstances surrounding Ms. Romano’s death” are under investigation, the paper reported.
April 10: Human remains found in Killingly, Connecticut
Two weeks later, human remains were found in Killingly, Connecticut, which is seven miles away across the state border from Foster, Rhode Island. WJAR reported that the human remains were discovered near railroad tracks on Woodward Street.
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The Connecticut State Police told Boston.com that the remains were identified as male, and the investigation “remains active and ongoing.”
April 10: Remains found in Framingham, Massachusetts, no foul play suspected
While fighting a brush fire near the Massachusetts Turnpike, officials found what appeared to be human remains, which “may have been there for several months,” the DA said, MetroWest Daily News reported.
A spokesperson for the DA confirmed Monday that “there is no foul play suspected in this death.”
April 20: Body pulled from Seekonk River in Rhode Island
A body was removed from the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island April 20 after a boater found the body. No other details about the incident were released, including cause of death or the person’s sex, The Boston Globe reported.
April 22: Woman found dead in Springfield
Springfield police are investigating the death of Meredith, 45, as a homicide after she was found unresponsive at the 1500 block of Hall of Fame Avenue. She was pronounced dead shortly after. Officials did not provide any other details about the woman.
The district attorney indicated that the incident was isolated.
April 25: Body found in Taunton, Massachusetts
A body was found in Taunton April 25 in the Mill River near Chandler Avenue on Friday, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office announced. The individual was identified as Samuel Stovall, 51, who was known to police as homeless.
“This death is not deemed suspicious but remains open pending further investigation,” the DA said in a statement.
April 27: Person found dead in Rocky Hill, Connecticut
A boater called the police to report a body in the water near the shoreline south of Ferry Park, Rocky Hill police posted on Facebook April 27. Police did not identify the person and said the cause of death is pending. The investigation is ongoing.
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This article was updated to include additional information.
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