WITH THEIR MESSAGE TONIGHT. SHARMAN MARIA. THE FBI SAYS THERE IS NO KNOWN THREAT. LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT IS SAYING IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THE CASES ARE CONNECTED. BUT SOCIAL MEDIA CONTINUES TO FUEL FEAR AND CHATTER. THE BODY OF A WOMAN FOUND ON A BIKE PATH IN SPRINGFIELD, BOOSTING ONLINE CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND WEB PAGES ABOUT A POSSIBLE SERIAL KILLER TARGETING NEW ENGLAND IN MARCH AND APRIL, THE REMAINS OF EIGHT PEOPLE, MOSTLY WOMEN, HAVE BEEN FOUND IN MASSACHUSETTS, CONNECTICUT AND RHODE ISLAND. I THINK WHAT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER WITH THE INTERNET IS THERE ARE NO GUARDRAILS ON THE COMMENTS. FORMER BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER ED DAVIS CAUTIONS PEOPLE NOT TO BELIEVE EVERYTHING THEY SEE ONLINE. THERE’S A LOT OF MISINFORMATION, AND PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO USE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS WHEN THEY SEE SOMETHING SPOKEN ABOUT ONLINE. IN NARRAGANSETT, RHODE ISLAND, POLICE SEARCHED A BEACH WITH CADAVER DOGS AFTER A FACEBOOK POST ALLUDED TO BODIES BURIED IN THE SAND. THEY FOUND NOTHING. THERE’S ZERO EVIDENCE THAT THERE’S ANYBODY BURIED. THE HAMPDEN DA SAYS AT THIS TIME, THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT THESE INCIDENTS ARE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER. OR ARE THEY A PART OF A LARGER PUBLIC SAFETY THREAT? AND IN PLYMOUTH, WHERE A SKULL WAS FOUND IN MARCH, THE DA SAYS THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING, ADDING THE SKULL IS WITH THE STATE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER. WE URGE ANYONE WITH CREDIBLE INFORMATION TO CONTACT STATE POLICE OR PLYMOUTH POLICE. DAVIS SAYS IT JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO TRY TO COVER UP A SERIAL KILLER. IF YOU HAVE A SERIAL KILLER, YOU GET ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM THE FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS. FRANKLY, IF I HAD A SERIAL KILLER OR I SUSPECTED THERE WAS ONE OPERATING, I’D BE TELLING EVERYBODY SO I COULD GET AS MUCH HELP AS I COULD. NOW, DAVIS SAYS, BOSTON POLICE WERE CONFRONTED WITH A SIMILAR SITUATION SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WHEN BODIES OF YOUNG MEN BEGAN TURNING UP IN THE HARBOR. THEY DETERMINED THESE CASES WERE NOT CONNECTED AND RELEASED AS MUCH INFORMATION AS EARLY AS THEY COULD TO QUELL ANY CONSPIRACIES.
Rumors about a possible serial killer in New England are swirling as people fumble for a connection among several recent deaths, but a top Massachusetts prosecutor says there is no such link, and a former Boston police commissioner warns the internet chatter is untrustworthy.”I think what you have to remember is, with the internet, there are no guardrails on the comments,” said Ed Davis, who led the Boston Police Department from 2006 through 2013 and now owns a security firm. “There’s a lot of misinformation, and people really need to use critical thinking skills when they see something spoken about online.” On Tuesday, a woman was found unresponsive along a bike path in Springfield and later died. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is performing an autopsy in connection with that investigation.The victim in Springfield was later identified as Meggan Meredith, 45, and the DA’s office said her death is being investigated by homicide investigators.In Plymouth, where a skull was found in March, the investigation is ongoing. “The skull is with the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. We urge anyone with credible information to contact (Massachusetts State Police) or Plymouth Police,” the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said.Other recent deaths and rumors have spanned Connecticut and Rhode Island.In Narragansett, police searched a beach with cadaver dogs after a Facebook post referenced bodies buried in the sand. They found nothing.While some of the cases remain unexplained, at least publicly, Davis said it doesn’t make any sense for investigators to try to cover up a serial killer.”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,” Davis said. Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni issued a statement Thursday in which he acknowledged the community’s desire to know that each case is being investigated, but urged everyone to avoid jumping to conclusions. “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. Unverified claims can compromise active investigations and contribute to a sense of chaos that does not reflect the full picture,” Gulluni said.He said that law enforcement and prosecutors are working on each case, while emphasizing that there is currently no suspected link.“At this time, there is no indication that these incidents are connected to each other or are a part of a larger public safety threat,” he said.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. —Rumors about a possible serial killer in New England are swirling as people fumble for a connection among several recent deaths, but a top Massachusetts prosecutor says there is no such link, and a former Boston police commissioner warns the internet chatter is untrustworthy.
“I think what you have to remember is, with the internet, there are no guardrails on the comments,” said Ed Davis, who led the Boston Police Department from 2006 through 2013 and now owns a security firm. “There’s a lot of misinformation, and people really need to use critical thinking skills when they see something spoken about online.”
On Tuesday, a woman was found unresponsive along a bike path in Springfield and later died. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is performing an autopsy in connection with that investigation.
The victim in Springfield was later identified as Meggan Meredith, 45, and the DA’s office said her death is being investigated by homicide investigators.
In Plymouth, where a skull was found in March, the investigation is ongoing.
“The skull is with the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. We urge anyone with credible information to contact (Massachusetts State Police) or Plymouth Police,” the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said.
Other recent deaths and rumors have spanned Connecticut and Rhode Island.
In Narragansett, police searched a beach with cadaver dogs after a Facebook post referenced bodies buried in the sand. They found nothing.
While some of the cases remain unexplained, at least publicly, Davis said it doesn’t make any sense for investigators to try to cover up a serial killer.
“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,” Davis said.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni issued a statement Thursday in which he acknowledged the community’s desire to know that each case is being investigated, but urged everyone to avoid jumping to conclusions.
“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. Unverified claims can compromise active investigations and contribute to a sense of chaos that does not reflect the full picture,” Gulluni said.
He said that law enforcement and prosecutors are working on each case, while emphasizing that there is currently no suspected link.
“At this time, there is no indication that these incidents are connected to each other or are a part of a larger public safety threat,” he said.
