Police have spoken out about fears over a ‘New England Serial Killer’ after eight people were found dead in the area within weeks from each other. These frequent deaths have raised fears that a serial killer may be on the loose in the area.
A woman was found off a bike path
One of the deaths which sparked concerns was that of a woman who was found unresponsive off a bike path in Springfield at the 1500 block of Hall of Fame Avenue on Tuesday April 22.
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The woman was pronounced dead at the scene when officers and medical professionals arrived.
A spokesperson confirmed the situation
Springfield Police Department spokesperson Ryan Walsh confirmed the woman was found dead off the bike trail, saying, “The SPD Homicide Unit under the direction Captain Trent Duda is conducting an unattended death investigation in conjunction with the @HampdenDA Murder Unit, pending an autopsy by the Medical Examiner.”
Her cause of death is still unclear
Although police have issued this as an initial statement regarding the woman’s death, it’s still unclear what exactly happened to her.
People are wondering if there’s a killer
People started wondering if there was a serial killer on the loose after eight people, most of whom are believed to be women, lost their lives in March and April in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island within weeks of each other.
Police haven’t connected the eight deaths
Human remains were also found over the past few months in the likes of New Haven, Norwalk, Groton and Killingly, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
But police haven’t publicly made any connections between the eight deaths.
Walsh said it was ‘rumors’
Springfield Police Department spokesperson Ryan Walsh told Fox News Digital that “internet rumors are just that.”
Regarding the multiple deaths in the state, Connecticut State Police have also issued a statement saying, “There is no information at this time suggesting any connection to similar remains discoveries, and there is also no known threat to the public at this time.”
There was a Facebook group around the matter
Speculation around the possible involvement of a serial killer began on a Facebook group previously named ‘New England Serial Killer’.
But the group name has been changed since then as it violated the rules and regulations of the site.
Peter Valentin put in his two cents
Chair of the Forensic Science Department at the University of New Haven, Peter Valentin, spoke to Fox News Digital about the recent stories.
He pointed out that Springfield police have yet to disclose a cause of death for the woman found off the bike path, with this information being crucial in order to understand what happened.
He suspects police want to avoid scrutiny
Valentin said, “I am curious about what was recovered around the body. There might have been paraphernalia suggestive of activity that is deemphasizing homicide (perhaps incorrectly) to the investigators because that article is quite tepid.”
Valentin has questions about the police statement
He added, “It is filled with very cautious language (surely taken right from police press releases), which might be intentional to not feed into what is now turning into intense scrutiny over every suspicious death in New England.”
