This week, human remains were found in New England, close to Taylor Swift’s holiday house in Rhode Island.
The police informed PEOPLE about the discovery of what are believed to be human remains in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, where Swift has a residence.
The incident took place around 9:30 am on Everett Avenue on Wednesday, May 14, when officers found what appeared to be a human leg bone, according to reports.
In a statement, the Westerly Police Department mentioned, “Investigators are awaiting official confirmation of the identity of the remains.” They also noted that “No foul play is suspected at this time.”
The finding has generated concern among the community, especially since several other remains have been found in New England towns, including Connecticut (New Haven, Norwalk, Groton, and Killingly), Rhode Island (Foster), and Massachusetts (Framingham, Plymouth, and Springfield).
There have been growing rumors of a possible ‘serial killer’ in the area, although police have stated they are not pursuing a murderer at large, and not all deaths are considered suspicious.
After the body of a woman, Meggan Meredith, was found in Springfield last month, district attorney Anthony Gulluni remarked, “Unverified claims can compromise active investigations… At this time, there is no indication that these incidents are connected to each other or they are part of a larger public safety threat.”
Despite police statements, online sleuths continue to believe a serial killer may be operating in New England.
Numerous discussions on platforms like Facebook have emerged, speculating potential links between the cases.
The New Haven Register reported that a police scuba team discovered 35-year-old Paige Fannon’s body in the Norwalk River on March 6.
On that same day, remains identified as a human skull were found in the woods by a hunter in Plymouth.
On March 19, Groton police found a woman’s body in a suitcase near a cemetery, believed to be aged between 40 and 60, according to WTNH.
Later that week, on March 21, New Haven authorities recovered the decomposed body of Denise Leary in a wooded area, and Michele Romano’s body was found in Rhode Island on March 25, reported by WJAR.
In April, unidentified remains of a man were found in Killingly, Connecticut, and in Massachusetts.
The Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was the site of more unidentified remains on April 21, found by a boater.
A day later, on April 22, Meggan Meredith was discovered ‘unresponsive’ near a bike path in Springfield, a case being treated as a homicide.
April 23 saw the discovery of two men’s bodies in a wooded area near a Walmart in Salem, Massachusetts.
Authorities are dismissing the idea of a serial killer. Chief Paul Gingerella of the Westerly Police told Fox News Digital, “As far as I’m concerned, as far as right now, this has nothing to do with any serial killer [or] any New England murderer.”
Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni warned that rumors could hinder investigations, as reported by MetroWest.
“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,” he said. “Unverified claims can compromise active investigations and contribute to a sense of chaos that does not reflect the full picture.”
A criminologist, James Alan Fox from Northeastern University, commented on the potential of a serial killer in the area.
Fox explained to Northeastern Global News, “Most serial killers have some commonality in their victims. Usually it’s the sex, race, age or physical features of the victims. That’s not always true, of course, but they tend to have a particular preference for the victim type. But in these cases there are so many dissimilarities.”
He also noted the absence of a pattern in the locations where bodies were found.
“There’s no pattern to the dump sites,” said Fox. “A lot of serial killers will have a particular dump site where they dispose of their bodies. So when police do find evidence from a serial killer, they tend to find multiple bodies because the killer feels comfortable about disposing of bodies in that location. More than 70% of serial killers kill in one locale, typically around their home or workplace or somewhere where they know the roads and the escape patterns. It’s much safer for them to kill in a place where they know the terrain. Plus they tend to have jobs and families, which means they kill part-time — literally, they have some free time to kill. And in general they can’t spend weeks and months traveling around finding victims.”