Latest news with #GrotonPoliceDepartment
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
CT police quash New England serial killer rumors, arrest man after woman found dismembered in suitcase
Officials in Groton, Connecticut, on Monday announced the arrest of a man in connection with the murder of Suzanne Wormser, 58, whose body was found dismembered and stuffed into a suitcase near a cemetery on March 19. Donald Coffel, Wormser's 68-year-old roommate, is charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and disposing of a dead body in Connecticut Superior Court after police found Wormser's body on March 19, though they believe her remains were left in the cemetery sometime in mid-March. "Both the victim and the suspect knew each other. This was a targeted event," Groton Police Department Chief David Burton said during a Monday press conference announcing Coffel's arrest. Burton added that police searched another crime scene at the Groton residence Coffel and Wormser shared on April 17 and interviewed Coffel, a person of interest at the time who later became the primary suspect. New England Serial Killer Fears Merit 'Review And Investigation' After Remains Found Across 3 States: Expert Coffel allegedly confessed to the murder during his third interview with police, saying he beat Wormser with a baseball bat during an argument over crack-cocaine, according to an arrest warrant obtained by Fox 61. Authorities found a bat with blood and hair on it, as well as a hand saw and a woman's clothing covered in a blood-like substance inside the residence Coffel shared with Wormser, according to the warrant. Read On The Fox News App Coffel is being held on $1 million bond. He had a hearing from a hospital on Monday, where he is being treated for cancer, FOX 61 reported. The arrest warrant states that a passerby noticed a luggage bag placed by trash cans near the cemetery for several weeks. Inside the luggage, authorities discovered a human torso. Coffel's arrest is the first in a series of discoveries of 11 human remains across Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts between March and April that have prompted rumors of a serial killer online. "During the course of the police department's investigation, there have been many rumors and unsubstantiated fear-mongering taking place on social media, making this city and surrounding communities seem like unsafe places to live. I'm here to assure you that the City of Groton is among the safest communities in the Northeast," Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick said during a Monday press conference. "Approximately six weeks after the discovery of human remains at Colonel Ledyard Cemetery, I am pleased to announce that an arrest has been made, and a person of interest is in custody." SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter The Connecticut State Police told Fox News Digital earlier this month that "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," regarding the deaths in Connecticut. Other remains have been located in New Haven, Norwalk, Groton, Killingly and now Rocky Hill, Connecticut; Foster, Rhode Island; and Framingham, Plymouth, Springfield, and now Taunton, Massachusetts. The New Haven Police Department recently identified a victim whose body was discovered on March 25 on Rock Creek Road as Denise Leary, 59. She had been missing since September of last year. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X "At the time, we had no indication that there was any criminal aspect to her case," New Haven PD Public Information Officer Christian Bruckhart told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday interview. "This was not necessarily unusual behavior for her to leave. She had some mental health diagnoses that she was suffering with, and … we've tried to be cognizant of her family's feelings in this time because there was a time when she was missing, they wanted her to come back, then there were remains found a short distance from their house. So I'm sure they were hoping it wasn't her, and now they have to kind of go through all this again with sort of people online speculating about her." Bruckhart wants to remind the public that victims are not "just the face on the screen" New England Serial Killer Fears Grow As Police Downplay Threat Encroaching On Wealthy Coastal Enclaves "Her family is still suffering and grieving her loss," Bruckhart said. A medical examiner found Leary's cause and manner of death to be undetermined, but Bruckhard said there is no "indication that there's any criminal involvement." "That doesn't mean that we can definitively say there was not, but … in the totality of what we saw in our investigation, there was nothing to indicate that she was murdered," the officer said. Regarding the Wormser case in Groton, Bruckhart said police are "not seeing any links, certainly between Denise and anyone else," and they also do not see a connection between Coffel "and the city of New Haven in general." "In a case of an alleged serial killer, if there was some connection that we had or that we saw, or it was a particular area, or there was a motive or whatever, we would want to put that out because we want to protect the public," Bruckhart said. "That's what we do. Now, that's not to say that we would put out everything that we know, because again, if we're trying to catch this person. Holding some of those facts and not publicizing them might help the investigation, might help that person get caught. In the case of Denise, we don't see any of that." A Facebook group making unsubstatiated connections between the cases, which was formerly called "New England Serial Killer," has changed its name due to the social media company's policies and now has more than 68,000 article source: CT police quash New England serial killer rumors, arrest man after woman found dismembered in suitcase
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Massachusetts police issue warning after ‘Senior Assassin' game triggers emergency response
'Senior Assassin,' a popular yet controversial tradition among high school students nationwide, is triggering warnings from local authorities. Officers from Groton and Westford were called to a neighborhood in Groton just after 5:30 p.m. for several reports of a masked person dressed in black and armed with a gun, according to the Groton Police Department. Police said that an investigation into the reports revealed that the person involved was a high school senior participating in a large-scale water gun fight called 'Senior Assassin.' Groton-Dunstable Regional High School seniors were running around attempting to eliminate one another by sneaking up on them and squirting them with a squirt gun, according to police. In this particular incident, a fake gun was mistaken for a real firearm, causing fright for neighborhood residents. 'The squirt gun was realistic looking from a distance and had been mistaken for a real gun by the multiple residents who called 911 in alarm,' the police department said in a statement. 'Thankfully, this incident did not have a tragic ending due to officers' training and experience and the quick realization that the gun was not real.' The department also urged parents of high school students to speak to their teens about the dangers of the game. 'We hope that this can be a teachable moment for the older teens in Groton, and are very glad that this incident turned out to be just a prank in very poor taste,' police added. The department also warned that if there are other instances of teens causing disruption while playing this game, they'll face legal consequences for disturbing the peace, in addition to any other laws that get broken. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Rumors swirl about possible serial killer after multiple human remains found along Connecticut shoreline: Police do not think so
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — The sign says no trespassing on the gate, but it appears that is exactly what someone did at the end of Woodward Street in Danielson, where human remains were found Wednesday. That disturbing discovery is not the only one in or near eastern Connecticut. Other remains were found in the City of Groton and just over the state line in Foster, Rhode Island. Human remains found in Killingly, state police say 'It would seem that there's a pattern and that's scary,' said one woman who did not want to be identified. State police told News 8 this in a statement: '…there is no information at this time suggesting any connection to similar discoveries in RI & the CT shoreline area, and there is also no known threat to the public at this time.' News 8 recently learned the remains found near a cemetery in the City of Groton on March 19 were in a suitcase. The other human remains found in Foster, Rhode Island March 27 were that of a woman. 'I would tell people don't rush to judgement,' Groton Police Chief Louis Fusaro said. He said the same rumors are swirling around his investigation into a report of a suspicious man at Bluff Point State Park on April 3. Here's a portion of the call reporting that incident to the Groton Police Department. 'I went back around. Turned the other way,' said the caller. 'He went back the other way and then he started like walking back as I turned around to walk back to the car.' 'What I heard on our phone call initially was remarkedly different from what we saw posted over the weekend last weekend,' Fusaro said. In that Facebook post, the caller said the man pulled out a switchblade knife. Groton police are also investigating the disappearance of Steven Gush, whose car and phone were found off of Route 184 on March 29. Some wonder if this could all be the work of a serial killer. Police do not think so. 'What I can say is we don't believe there's any connection between them,' Fusaro said. 'But I've seen people draw conclusions. I've seen the stuff and it's causing a little bit of concern in our community.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
WATCH: Democratic lawmaker arrested for DUI after failing roadside sobriety test as wife slept in backseat
A Democratic lawmaker was caught on a police body camera after allegedly driving impaired, and authorities noted the Connecticut state representative's eyes were "red and glossy." Rep. Aundré Bumgardner, a Democrat serving in the Connecticut House of Representatives, was arrested Sunday morning and charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving, according to a police report obtained by Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to Bumgardner's office for comment. "Last night, I was cited for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence," Bumgardner said in a statement Monday. "I take full responsibility for my actions and deeply regret this mistake. I am grateful that no one was harmed and that no accident occurred." Bumgardner, 30, initially told officers he had "struck something" in the road and was returning home from an "event" with constituents, according to the report. Authorities noted one of his vehicle's front tires was flat and "barely staying on the rim," and Bumgardner's eyes were "red and glossy" with a "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath as he spoke." The report noted Bumgardner "appeared to be very nervous," "had a slight slur in his speech" and initially denied having anything to drink when questioned. Body camera footage of the incident, obtained by Fox News Digital, shows Bumgardner repeatedly failing multiple roadside sobriety tests as a woman, later identified by authorities as his wife, was asleep in the backseat of the car. Bumgardner can be seen in the footage stumbling as he is unable to follow the officer's instructions throughout the tests. The report states Bumgardner made four attempts to complete a standard "walk and turn" test and did not pass. After multiple failed attempts at completing an exercise that required Bumgardner to stand on one foot, he can be heard telling the officer, "I'm sorry sir. I'm not much of a balancer." Bumgardner was placed under arrest, handcuffed and transported to the Groton Police Department, where he contacted his attorney. Officers took Bumgardner's wife, who had slept through the encounter, home. During the booking process, Bumgardner pointed at the officer's body camera, saying "it felt very invasive to him" and appeared to be evasive when asked to sign paperwork informing him of his rights, according to the report. Bumgardner's license was revoked for 24 hours, and he was released after being ordered to appear in court next week. Bumgardner has been removed from his leadership positions and committee assignments "until further notice," State Rep. Matt Ritter, the speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, confirmed to Fox News Digital. "I am disappointed and disheartened after hearing of Rep. Bumgardner's arrest for driving under the influence," Ritter said in a statement. "I have spoken with Aundré, and he understands that he must take full responsibility and work every day to win back the trust of his constituents and colleagues. Aundré is a dedicated and compassionate young man, and it is clear from talking to him that he is owning this very serious mistake." Bumgardner was re-elected to the House in 2022 and serves as the assistant majority leader of the House Democratic caucus. He's also a member of the Finance, Environment, Energy and Transportation committees. "I recognize the seriousness of this situation and am committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure it never happens again," Bumgardner said. "To my family, friends, colleagues, and the residents of the 41st District, whom I am honored to serve, I sincerely apologize for my actions and the disappointment I have caused."
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
Groton man charged with possession of child pornography
GROTON, Conn. (WTNH) — A Groton man was arraigned Monday on charge of possession of child pornography. Anthony M. Zohlman, 29, was charged with possession of child pornography in the first degree following a months-long investigation regarding suspected child sexual abuse material. Bristol paraprofessional arrested for possession of child sexual abuse material Groton police obtained a search warrant for Zohlman's mobile device. A forensic examination led to the discovery of a significant volume of child sexual abuse material, including images and videos, according to Groton police. Zohlman was arrested on Feb. 25. He was processed and held on a court-set $100,000 bond, and was arraigned at New London Superior Court on Monday. Anyone with information related to this case or other instances of online child exploitation is encouraged to contact the Groton Police Department at 860-441-6712 or submit a tip through NCMEC's CyberTipline at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
