Discovery of 7 bodies across southern New England sparks fears of serial killer

According to Fox News, human remains have been found in Foster, Rhode Island; Framingham and Plymouth, Massachusetts; and in New Haven, Norwalk, Groton, and Killingly, Connecticut.

Regarding the deaths in Connecticut, state police told Fox News 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." It is currently unclear if the deaths of the seven victims are related.

Matthew Mangino, a Pennsylvania-based criminal defense attorney and former Lawrence County District Attorney, told the outlet, "Whether it's coincidental or not, I think it merits review and investigation, at least. Collaboration between the different jurisdictions to determine whether or not there is some threat out there to individuals — that may be going on as we speak. We don't know that, but I think it does merit that kind of scrutiny."

He said that part of the investigation should involve determining whether there are any "patterns" between the deaths or crime scenes. Mangino said, "These different jurisdictions need to get together and compare notes and reports. You can initially see if there are any similarities between these deaths. Were these homicides? I mean, we may find that these are natural deaths or … it could be a suicide, it could be accidental. So, the number one issue is: is there enough to determine the cause and manner of death?"

Adjunct faculty member at John Jay College of Criminal Justice Brian Higgins, who is also a former chief of police in Bergen County, New Jersey, said that three victims in the cases are women. The victim found in Killingly is also believed by police to be a woman in her 40s to 60s.

Higgins said, "Well, you have the remains of seven people — that doesn't mean necessarily all seven are [victims] of a serial killer. It could be, later on, you know, two or three victims. But it brought attention to these deaths, and that's a positive way to look at that."

On March 6, the remains of 35-year-old Paige Fannon of West Islip, New York was found in the Norwalk River, per the New York Post. The same day, a human skull was found in Plymouth in a wooded area of Route 3 by a man searching for deer antlers.

Remains of an adult female between the ages of 40 and 60 were found near a cemetery in Groton. The body of 59-year-old Denise Leary, a mother of two, was found two days later in New Haven. The body of 56-year-old Michele Romano, from Warwick, New York, was found in the woods in Foster on March 26.

Relatives of Romano have said her death is not related to a serial killer, writing on a Facebook page, "In light of the recent comments being made, we know that Michele’s passing is in no way related to any type of serial killer. We have complete faith in the Rhode Island State Police and our Private Investigator that the person responsible will be brought to justice sooner rather than later!"

On April 9, human remains were discovered in Killingly, and on April 10, another body was discovered off the Massachusetts Turnpike in Framingham. Fears that a serial killer is possibly on the loose have sparked the Facebook group "New England Serial Killer" which has over 55,000 members as of April 15, Masslive reported.