New England authorities are not sharing “enough” information to quash speculation about a serial killer following the recent discoveries of 12 sets of human remains between March and April, according to former FBI instructor and certified police instructor Scott Duffey.
The discoveries of 12 human remains in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts between March and April, with few details from police as to how the 12 victims died, have prompted rumors of a serial killer online.
“From what I’ve seen or heard, first and foremost, not enough is being put out there, so we’ll continue to create that serial killer idea,” Duffey said of social media sleuths. “But at the same time, nothing has been said to make any type of connection [between victims]. And so that’s what leads me down to … let law enforcement continue to answer the questions that they need to answer. But nothing that I have seen would arise to a serial killer [being] responsible for any or most of these people who have been found.”
The former FBI investigator, who is originally from Norwalk, said that after looking into what information was available about the 12 deaths, he reassured his family of his belief that there is not a serial killer roaming New England.
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This map shows the locations where bodies have been found in New England. (Fox News)
“I personally don’t think there’s anybody on the loose targeting women in New England … along the waterways and pathways,” Duffey said. “But at the same time, you can disregard a serial killer out there, but don’t let your guard down. … An individual who’s looking to take advantage of a vulnerable situation will do so. … I always talk about the buddy system. If you’re going out running, if you’re going out somewhere dark, and you’re going to be outside … walking, trailing, whatever, take somebody with you, have your phone and just be aware of your surroundings.”
“I personally don’t think there’s anybody on the loose targeting women in New England … along the waterways and pathways.”
Of the 12 bodies found in the three states over the last two months, few developments have been made in the victims’ respective cases, but police are investigating each of them.
Last week, however, Connecticut police arrested a man named Donald Coffel in connection with the murder of a Groton woman, his roommate, Suzanne Wormser, who was found dismembered and stuffed into a suitcase in March. Police said a preliminary investigation revealed that he allegedly murdered her over an argument about crack cocaine.
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Donald Coffel appears virtually for an April 28, 2025, hearing from a hospital because he has cancer. (FOX 61)
The Connecticut State Police recently told Fox News Digital 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 Rocky Hill, Connecticut; Foster and Pawtucket, Rhode Island; and Framingham, Plymouth, Springfield and two bodies in Taunton, Massachusetts. Some social media sleuths say these discoveries of human remains, particularly female remains, in the three neighboring states may indicate a serial killer, but police have made no indication of that being the case.
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One set of human remains was found in Groton, Conn. (iStock)
“It doesn’t take a lot to create a conspiracy,” Duffey said. “And when you have a vacuum of information … and then one person puts out, really, somewhat of a logical idea, and then it catches, and then people start following that idea even though there’s no evidence to back it up.”
“It doesn’t take a lot to create a conspiracy.”
The serial killer rumors, which stem from a private Facebook group with nearly 70,000 users all searching for answers surrounding these recent morbid discoveries, also led Rhode Island police on a hunt for clandestine graves along Narragansett Beach last week after an anonymous member of the group made an eerie confession that prompted the Narragansett police to investigate.
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“It looked like someone was trying to get a rise. I mean, he referenced Rick Rolling [in] the group, he referenced this being prose. One of his poems actually spelled out the word ‘hoax’ if you spelled out the first letter of the paragraphs,” Det. Sgt. Brent Kuzman told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “So, it seemed pretty obvious that this was kind of a nothing thing, but I never want to be the person that didn’t do something.”
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Police in Narragansett, R.I., investigated a report about clandestine graves. (John Greim/Loop Images/Universal Images Group)
His fellow officers agreed, and they expensed some resources for searches on April 21 and again on April 22 with cadaver dogs. The searches came up negative.
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Duffey believes police in the area who are called to respond to suspicious deaths will have their eye on the Facebook page and related social media discussions.
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“The mystery is definitely a hook,” he said. “And just like anybody else, I’m waiting for more and more answers to come out. But also, I think with what has come out, I feel strongly that it is just that – a set of circumstances that caught a social media whirlwind – and now law enforcement has to kind of temper it down with evidence and information coming from credible sources.”
The Facebook group has garnered nearly 20,000 new members over the last month. Searches for “New England serial killer” on Google spiked around April 7, according to data from the search engine.
