Police in a seaside Connecticut town have identified a body found near the entrance of a cemetery in March and have also arrested a suspect in her death, knocking another of several New England deaths off the list hyped on social media as the work of a possible serial killer.
The remains found in a suitcase near the entrance of the Colonel Ledyard Cemetery in Groton back on March 19 have been identified as 58-year-old Suzanne Wormser, WFSB reported. Tips led police to the identification and also to the nearby home where she lived with Donald Coffel, 68, who has now been charged with murder.
Investigators say Wormser was killed at the home just down the block from the cemetery and her body dumped. He confessed, police say, during a third interview with detectives.
They have not said what led to the murder, and Coffel is being held on a $1 million bond.
Before Wormer’s body was found at the cemetery, a human skull was found in the woods near Plymouth, Massachusetts, according to Boston 25, and on the same day, a New York woman identified as Paige Fannon, 35, was found dead in Norwalk, Connecticut. Investigators have not identified the remains found near Plymouth, and a Norwalk Police spokesperson told PEOPLE that “there is no indication of foul play or relation to any other death or serial killer” in Fannon’s death.
Then , two days after the body was found at the cemetery, the body of Denise Leary, 59, was found in New Haven, about 50 miles away from Groton. Leary had been reported missing in September, and an autopsy was inconclusive about the cause of her death, but police said there was nothing to indicate she’d been murdered.
Shortly after Leary’s body was found, police in Foster, Rhode Island, about 50 miles north of Groton, found the body of 56-year-old Michele Romano, who had disappeared from Warwick in August. Romano’s family said in a Facebook post that they “know that Michelle’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 Investigators that the person responsible will be brought to justice sooner rather than later,” the family said.
Remains were also found on April 9 in Killingly, Connecticut, and on April 10 in Framingham, Massachusetts. Most recently, on April 22, Meggan Meredith, 45, was found dead on a bike path in Springfield, Massachusetts, WCVB reported. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of death.
Despite no evidence from law enforcement that any of the deaths were connected at all, let alone by a serial killer, a Facebook group has stirred up fears of a “New England serial killer.”
“During the course of the police department’s investigation there have been many rumors and unsubstantiated fear mongering taking place on social media making the city and surrounding communities seem like unsafe places to live,” Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick told WFSB after police announced the arrest of Coffel for Wormer’s murder.
Ed Davis, former head of the Boston Police Department who now runs a security firm, told WCVB that it made no sense for investigators to cover up a serial killer, because investigating such an occurrence brings in more help from outside sources.
“I think what you have to remember is, with the internet, there are no guardrails on the comments,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of misinformation, and people really need to use critical thinking skills when they see something spoken about online.”
Anthony D. Gulluni, district attorney for Hampden County, where Meredith’s body was found on April 22, acknowledged the fears of the community but urged restraint in running down the rabbit holes of unconfirmed information and speculation.
“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,” he said. “Unverified claims can compromise active investigations and contribute to a sense of chaos that does not reflect the full picture.”
He added that there is “no indication” the deaths are connected “or are part of a larger public safety threat.”
