Concerns are escalating about the potential presence of a serial killer operating across a tri-state region following the discovery of numerous bodies in a short span.
Residents throughout New England are voicing their worries about a potential murderer in the area after the remains or bodies of eight people were discovered across Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts over recent months.
Here’s what is known about the situation currently.
In March and April, remains of eight individuals, mostly suspected to be women, were found in Connecticut towns (New Haven, Norwalk, Groton, and Killingly), as well as in Foster, Rhode Island, and Framingham, Plymouth, and Springfield, Massachusetts.
Not all of the bodies have been officially identified, and while they were found within a two-month timeframe, this doesn’t necessarily mean they died around the same time.
A woman, 35-year-old Paige Fannon, was found by police divers on March 6 in the Norwalk River, as reported by the New Haven Register.
Fannon, from West Islip on Long Island, was reported missing in New York a day before her body was located. Her clothing and personal belongings were also reportedly discovered on the river’s edge.
The very same day, in Plymouth, officers responded to human remains found by a hunter in the woods.
Initially thought to be animal bones, they were later identified as the upper portion of a human skull lacking the jaw and nasal area, PEOPLE noted.
The age, gender, and identity of this individual remain unverified.
About 80 miles east of Norwalk, officers in Groton discovered a body in a suitcase near a cemetery on March 19, according to WTNH.
Authorities suspect the remains belong to a woman aged 40 to 60.
On March 20, New Haven authorities found the decomposed body of Denise Leary.
Following a call to block 100 of Rock Creek Road from residents clearing brush in a wooded area, police found the remains, described as ‘in an advanced state of decay’, later confirming it was 59-year-old Leary.
Leary, who vanished in September, had a history of mental health challenges, including paranoid schizophrenia, and was last seen near her residence by Rock Creek Road, WFSB reported.
On March 26, Michele Romano’s body was located in a wooded area off Plainfield Pike in Rhode Island, according to WJAR.
Reported missing eight months earlier by family, the mother of two’s remains were discovered after a resident’s dog showed unusual interest in the area.
“I know my dog has been acting strange when he comes out here,” resident Tom Slater said. “He’s always sniffing over that way. I don’t know how long the body has been over there but he would pick up on it.”
Romano’s friend, John Michelotti, demanded accountability, stating, “She didn’t just die and end up in the woods,” he said. “Someone has to be held accountable for what happened to her.”
An ongoing investigation is happening in Killingly, where Connecticut State Police confirmed finding human remains. The individual’s gender, age, and circumstances of death are still undetermined.
Most recently, on April 22, a woman was found unresponsive near a bike path in Springfield at Hall of Fame Avenue. She was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel, and the cause of death is yet to be determined, as confirmed by Springfield Police Department spokesperson Ryan Walsh.
Her passing marks the eighth body found in the region within two months, and the third in Massachusetts, intensifying fears of a potential serial killer targeting mostly female victims.
A Facebook group, initially named ‘New England Serial Killer’, spurred the speculation, gathering over 65,000 members before undergoing a name change to comply with platform policies.
Several groups have since emerged, with one cautioning about ‘sinister shadows lurking in the Southern New England tri-state area’, noting the community is ‘gripped by fear and uncertainty.’
Peter Valentin, chair of the Forensic Science Department at the University of New Haven, pointed out to Fox News Digital that Springfield police have not identified the cause of the woman’s death, nor confirmed if it was a homicide.
“I am curious about what was recovered around the body,” Valentin stated. “There might have been paraphernalia suggestive of activity that is deemphasizing homicide (perhaps incorrectly) to the investigators because that article is quite tepid.”
The article is filled with cautious language, as if derived from police statements, perhaps to avoid fueling speculation amid the growing scrutiny over suspicious deaths in New England.
Valentin also commented on the police response to the unresponsive individual, suggesting the presence of post-mortem artifacts is unlikely as they required confirmation of vital signs.
“If someone is in full rigor mortis, there is no need to try to find a pulse because the presence of rigor mortis means they are unequivocally dead. So this is a very recent death, unlike the others that are being attributed to the [New England] serial killer,” he concluded.
Authorities have found no connections between the deaths, with Walsh remarking that ‘internet rumors are just that.’
Connecticut State Police have dismissed the rumors, saying there is no information suggesting any link between the discoveries, nor any known public threat.