The discovery of a woman’s body on a Massachusetts riverfront bike path has stoked internet speculation that New Englanders may be the target of a serial killer or killers.

Eight people, primarily women, have had their bodies discovered in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island since early March.

According to Boston 25, the most recent discovery was made at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22, when Springfield Police Department officers responded to calls regarding an adult woman who was found near the 1500 block of Hall of Fame Avenue and was not responding.

According to Walsh, the woman was declared dead soon after her discovery.

Walsh stated that while the medical examiner performs an autopsy, the department’s homicide unit will carry out a “unattended death investigation.”

1500 Hall of Fame Ave. in Springfield, Mass., where a woman’s body was found

In numerous of these cases, authorities have reported that they have not discovered any evidence linking the deaths to one another.

Police tell PEOPLE that they don’t think at least three of the deaths were caused by foul play.

The public is still concerned, though. With 17,000 members, the New England SK Facebook group has emerged as a focal point for conversations regarding the recent spate of fatalities in the area.

“There is a mystery surrounding serial killers.”
After several bodies started to appear in the area in late March, social media users started speculating about a potential serial killer.

According to Boston 25 News, a human skull was discovered in the woods off Route 3 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on March 6. The age and gender of the individual have not yet been established by authorities.

According to police, the remains of a 35-year-old woman named Paige Fannon of West Islip, New York, were discovered in Norwalk, Connecticut, on March 6.

Paige Fannon and Denise Leary

Lt. Tomasz Podgorski of the Norwalk Police Department tells PEOPLE, “Our investigation shows no evidence of foul play or connection to any other death or serial killer.”

According to Podgorski, the State of Connecticut Medical Examiners’ Office is still looking into how she died.

According to NBC Connecticut and WTNH, human remains were discovered in a suitcase close to the Colonel Ledyard Cemetery on March 19 in the coastal Connecticut town of Groton.

According to investigators, the remains, which were discovered close to the cemetery in mid-February, belong to a woman who was between the ages of 40 and 60.

While they are looking into it, authorities advise the public not to draw hasty judgments. “I would advise people to refrain from making snap decisions,” Groton Police Chief Louis Fusaro told WTNH.

When the body of another Connecticut woman, identified as 59-year-old Denise Leary, was discovered in her home of New Haven on March 21, the public was even more alarmed.

Christian Bruckhart, the public information officer for New Haven, tells PEOPLE that she was reported missing in September.

He claims that an autopsy was performed by the medical examiner. Although the cause of her death was not definitively determined, they were able to conclude that there did not seem to have been any trauma. There was no evidence of her murder based on the circumstances surrounding her discovery and what we knew about the investigation.

According to Bruckhart, Leary had battled mental health concerns prior to her passing.

When Michele Romano’s body was discovered in Foster, Rhode Island, on March 26, five days after she was reported missing from the coastal town of Warwick, Rhode Island, in August, public alarm increased.

“Given the recent remarks, we are aware that Michele’s death has nothing to do with any kind of serial killer,” her family wrote in a recent Facebook post. Our private investigator and the Rhode Island State Police have our utmost confidence that the culprit will be apprehended as soon as possible.

The Connecticut State Police then emailed PEOPLE to report that more human remains were discovered in Killingly on April 9.

“At this time, there is no information indicating any connection to similar remains discoveries actively under investigation by CSP or other CT law enforcement agencies. This investigation is in its early stages and is still active and ongoing,” the CSP stated in the email.

“At this time, there is no known threat to the public,” the statement added.

On April 10, a second body was discovered in Framingham, Massachusetts.

The cause and manner of each of these deaths are still being investigated by officials.

Bruckhart claims to be aware of the public’s interest in these cases. He claims that serial killers are mysterious. People find them and their potential fascinating. However, they are real.