Rumors on social media have speculated that a serial killer may be behind the discovery of six bodies across three New England states in recent months.
However, a recent arrest in one of the missing woman cases has led police to address the increasing talk of a mass murderer on the loose.
1.
Information about the killings were shared in a Facebook group
Facebook users have shared information in the group “New England SK,” stating that a serial killer could have buried multiple bodies at Scarborough Beach in Rhode Island.
On Thursday, the Narragansett Police Department said these posts were “concerning” and that an anonymous user was responsible for spreading these unverified details, Blavity and NBC New York reported.
“The anonymous poster commented numerous times in the group about it being a metaphorical and literary work,” the department said. “The user also posted that they were working on a novel and that users were overanalyzing a work of fiction.”
2.
Arrest made in the murder of a missing Connecticut woman
State and local police alerted the FBI and searched with cadaver dogs in the area but found no evidence. The rumors stemmed from multiple bodies discovered in New England towns, which authorities are still investigating. However, an update occurred in one of the cases.
Donald Coffel, 68, of Groton, Connecticut, was taken into custody on Friday in connection with the death of a now-identified woman, Suzanne Wormser, 58, also of Groton, whose remains were found in a suitcase near a cemetery, according to People and WTNH.
Coffel is charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and improper disposal of a body, City of Groton Police Chief David Burton said.
3.
Wormser’s identity remained unknown during the earlier stages of the investigation. Still, five other people, including Paige Fannon of West Islip, New York; an unidentified person of Plymouth, Massachusetts; Denise Leary of New Haven, Connecticut; Michele Romano of Foster, Rhode Island, and an unidentified person of Killingly, Connecticut, still have open cases.
Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis told WCVB that rumors about these situations spread quickly online and are almost never fact-checked before being shared with the public.
“There’s a lot of misinformation, and people really need to use critical thinking skills when they see something spoken about online,” he said.
“If you have a serial killer, you get additional resources from the federal and state governments. Frankly, if I had a serial killer or suspected there was one operating, I’d be telling everybody so I’d be getting as much help as I could,” said Davis, who now owns a security firm.
