New England Serial Killer Suspected: What We Know

Newsweek

24-04-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A woman was found dead in Springfield, Massachusetts on Tuesday, sparking another bout of social media concern about an alleged New England serial killer.
Rumors of a serial killer stalking the North East began after seven sets of human remains were found across the New England states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts between March and April.
As of publication, the Springfield woman's cause of death remains unknown and authorities have not announced any connection between the deaths.
Connecticut State Police told Fox News Digital: "There is also no known threat to the public at this time."
The Springfield Police Department has been contacted for comment via email.
Police lights from the Houston Police Department, Saturday, June 18, 2022. These are not police lights in Springfield, MA.
Police lights from the Houston Police Department, Saturday, June 18, 2022. These are not police lights in Springfield, MA.
Aaron M. Sprecher/AP Photo
Why It Matters
Despite a lack of known connection between the deaths, serial killer concerns are sweeping across New England and on social media. A private 'New England Serial Killer' Facebook group currently has 65,867 members.
What To Know
The Springfield woman was found shortly after 8:00 am on Tuesday, April 22, when officers received a call about an unresponsive person near a bike path. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, per Ryan Walsh, Springfield PD spokesperson.
Three out of the other seven bodies found across New England in the past two months have been identified as women. The human remains found in Killingly, CT, were also reported as likely being a woman's but there has not been confirmation from the town of Killingly on these reports.
Rumors of a serial killer began when two bodies were found in Groton, CT, within a month of each other, and a man's body was pulled from the Woonasquatucket River around the same time.
Despite some people on social media suggesting seven bodies being discovered within a relatively small part of the US without explanation may be part of a pattern, others are more skeptical.
Peter Valentin, chair of the Forensic Science Department at the University of New Haven's Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, told Fox News digital that he does find the bodies "curious."
However, he told the outlet: "Even though these remains were found within the last two months, at least some of them have been in these conditions or in a state of decomposition for a period of time."
Although the remains were found within a similar time period, they may not have all died at the same time.
Valentin said that scientific conclusions can only come from evidence linking the bodies together, such as DNA.
The Springfield woman's death is now under investigation by the Springfield Police Department's homicide unit and the Hampden District Attorney's Murder Unit.
Jane Borowski, a survivor of a New Hampshire stabbing police believe was committed by the Connecticut River Valley serial killer — a still unknown killer believed to have targeted women in the New England area in the 1980s — has said that whether there is a serial killer in New England or not, this should be a reminder to women to "be more vigilant."
Borowski hosts a podcast called Invisible Tears which draws attention to homicides and cold cases, and used the podcast's Facebook page to ask "is there a serial killer running around? Is there two? Maybe two serial killers? I don't know. It's very suspicious."
In a second video, Borowski called out a person who made a false serial confession, saying: "If you wrote that confession, you're a freaking scumbag...that was just so wrong on so many levels."
What People Are Saying
Jane Borowski on Facebook: "How do you find so many bodies and so many remains and none of it is suspicious? That's suspicious to me."
Ryan Walsh, spokesperson for the Springfield Police Department in X (formerly Twitter): "The SPD Homicide Unit under the direction [of] Captain Trent Duda is conducting an unattended death investigation in conjunction with the @HampdenDA Murder Unit, pending an autopsy by the Medical Examiner."
What Happens Next
Police have not found a link between any of the bodies as of publication. It is unclear if all seven bodies are being investigated together at this time.