New England authorities are meticulously investigating the discovery of 11 bodies across Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts since the beginning of March, amid growing online speculation about a potential serial killer. However, law enforcement officials have firmly denied such claims, urging the public to avoid spreading unverified information.
The series of discoveries began in early March when the body of PAIGE FANNON, 35, was found in the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Connecticut. Last Tuesday, the body of MEGGAN MERIDITH, 45, from Springfield, Massachusetts, was identified after being recovered earlier in the week. On March 6, a human skull was discovered in a wooded area off Route 3 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, though authorities have yet to release further details.
ANTHONY D. GULLUNI, Hampden District Attorney, addressed reporters, emphasizing the importance of caution in online discussions. “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,” Gulluni stated. “Unverified claims can compromise active investigations and contribute to a sense of chaos that does not reflect the full picture.”
Former Washington, D.C., homicide detective TED WILLIAMS shared his insights with Fox News Digital, noting that investigators are leaving no stone unturned. “The investigators who are conducting these investigations are not ruling out anything whatsoever at this stage of the investigation,” Williams said. “They are primarily at the preliminary stages of gathering evidence at each one of these death scenes to try to establish a nexus between those scenes and a single individual or individuals.”
Williams added that while authorities are exploring all possibilities, they are also cautious about prematurely linking the cases. “I don’t think at this stage they’re waving off a serial killer,” he said. “They’re trying to connect the dots, if the dots connect between the locations where the individuals were found. Some of these deaths may very well be of not a crime situation. They’re trying to make a connection.”
However, Fox News contributor and forensic pathologist DR. MICHAEL BADEN expressed skepticism about a potential pattern. “There really is no quite distinct, clear pattern of all of this,” Baden said.
As the investigations continue, authorities are focused on gathering evidence and providing the public with necessary updates while discouraging the spread of unverified claims.
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*Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.*