Following the discovery of a woman’s dismembered remains in North Fairmount on Sunday, social media has been inundated with posts speculating about additional bodies and a potential serial killer on the loose in Greater Cincinnati.
However, officials have categorically refuted these rumors. Cincinnati police, the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office, and the Clermont County Coroner’s Office all confirmed that the social media claims are unfounded.
Cincinnati police spokesman Lt. Jonathan Cunningham stated, “This is completely incorrect. We only have one individual that we are attempting to identify.”
Over the past 24 hours, numerous Facebook users have claimed that dismembered bodies were found near a Target in Westwood, as well as in the Clermont County suburbs of Union and Pierce townships.
In response to these claims, searches for “Cincinnati serial killer” have surged on Google throughout the region.
Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco reiterated that the rumors are baseless.
“We have not received any phone calls about any bodies having been discovered in such a manner,” Sammarco said.
Officials with the Clermont County Coroner’s Office also affirmed that they had not received any reports of a dismembered body being found.
Officials are still working to identify the woman found in the wooded area in North Fairmount off Baltimore Avenue. They described the woman as a Black female in her late 20s or early 30s, with no tattoos or identifying markings. Sammarco indicated that investigators believe she died on Friday or Saturday.
Investigators have ruled the death a homicide.
Sammarco urged anyone who might have seen anything suspicious or who is missing a family member matching the description of the woman to call the police or CrimeStoppers at 513-352-3040.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘Cincinnati serial killer’ at large? Officials say rumors are false