Speculation about a serial killer in New England is gaining significant traction online – specifically stemming from discussions in a private Facebook group called “New England Serial Killer.”

Members of the Facebook group and social media users on other platforms like TikTok and X are pointing to several recent discoveries of human remains in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island between March and April.

Authorities across all three states have identified remains in New Haven, Groton, Killingly and Norwalk, Connecticut, as well as Framingham and Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Foster, Rhode Island.

Three sets of human remains have been identified. New Haven police identified remains discovered on March 21 as Denise Leary, a formerly missing 59-year-old mother of two. Norwalk police also identified the remains of 35-year-old Paige Fannon of West Islip, New York, on March 6. Her remains were found in a swiftly moving Norwalk River after heavy rainfall the night before. 

The serial killer speculation seems to stem from the series of discoveries of female human remains over the span of two months. However, just because police discovered the remains between March and April does not mean all the victims died between March and April.

The New England Serial Killer Facebook group, which has 57,000 members, garnered more than 10,000 new members last week and over the weekend, as MassLive.com first reported.

Searches for “New England serial killer” on Google spiked around April 7, according to data from the search engine.