New England Serial Killer Speculation Thread

[DS2021]

@chrism23

I would encourage you to read thru this thread.
There's been a lot of sensationalizing going on

 

[DS2021]

https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/missing-persons/south-kingstown-police-seek-help-finding-missing-massachusetts-man/

https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/south-county/remains-found-in-westerly-identified-as-missing-man/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwK5cD1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHjIG68gLlEtViHAQZUQMWxg4hCJLgZdr_BzhdvaN-VnKewwrrxw2_LhjrhTu_aem_C2kSUsNkyeiiMMTwFlhpHQ

 

[snickums]

It would add up if it were the work of Coffel. Whoever would be responsible for these deaths would be very... bad at hiding bodies since they are all being found. Probably didn't care if he got caught being in his late 60's.

And if he knew he had cancer, then it explains why he was not careful. One of the main things they look for in serial killers ( and child molesters) is there was a type that the bad guy looked for, all females, all males etc., but either both groups of perps have gotten smarter or simply more deviant, because there is way more crossover making it harder on investigators. This case screams all of the known markers for an old time serial killer , and the old man sure would fit the bill.

 

[CuriousCricket]

And if he knew he had cancer, then it explains why he was not careful. One of the main things they look for in serial killers ( and child molesters) is there was a type that the bad guy looked for, all females, all males etc., but either both groups of perps have gotten smarter or simply more deviant, because there is way more crossover making it harder on investigators. This case screams all of the known markers for an old time serial killer , and the old man sure would fit the bill.

or were serial killers missed because LE looked for types? Tommy Lynn Sells (1964-2014) was never on anyone's radar because he killed men, women and children and traveled coast-to-coast. Then he married and settled down. He made the mistake of leaving a little girl alive - with a cut throat. She managed to walk to a neighbor's house for help and to describe him.

 

[ForensicPatterns]

My curiosity is getting the best of me and had me thinking, New England has had other unidentified serial killers in it's past, especially the New Bedford Highway Killer. One place they targeted which is near Pawtucket and Taunton, Freetown which is along Rt 140 that Taunton is linked through.

That SK also targeted Westport and Dartmouth, which are very close to Rhode Island and Plymouth, MA.

What are the odds that the NE SK is also the New Bedford Serial Killer!

I truly think it's three different people doing this tbh because serial killers, unless long haul truck divers or similar professions, they don't venture more than 1-1.5hrs from where they live to stalk, prey, and murder people. They are creatures of habit and have a routine, a preference, and rarely step outside of their strict code of order, unless they are disorganized killers.

"Organized and disorganized serial killers are distinguished by their level of planning, control, and crime scene characteristics. Organized killers plan their crimes, often with a specific victim in mind, and attempt to control the crime scene; while disorganized killers act impulsively with less planning and control, often leaving behind evidence."
Organized: Dennis Radar (BTK), John Wayne Gacy, Joel Rifkin, and Ted Bundy
Disorganized: Richard Chase, Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Edmund Kemper (The Co-Ed Killer)

Any scene that has evidence left behind is either a devolved former SK cming out of hiding to get their "fix" after being in hibernation for either being in prison, starting a family and kids are all grown up, or retired cop/lawyer whose about to get caught soon (ie - someone in their golden years, over 60 like the golden state killer!) or a very disorganized killer who is not linked to all the cases, only the ones with major evidence that have a similar pattern at every scene.

 

[chaz]

https://websleuths.com/threads/ct-j...-from-westville-new-haven-14-may-2025.744789/

She hasn't been found yet but I'll bring this over anyway. Very concerning.

 

[chaz]

https://websleuths.com/threads/ct-j...-from-westville-new-haven-14-may-2025.744789/

She hasn't been found yet but I'll bring this over anyway. Very concerning.

Jillian has been found safe!

 

[AgathonM]

After reviewing all publicly available data, I believe there may be a common thread that hasn't been thoroughly investigated: the possibility of poisoning using fast-degrading, hard-to-detect compounds.
In particular, I’m proposing a theory that fits the unusual patterns in many of the deaths—where cause is inconclusive, no overt trauma is found, and decomposition or environmental exposure might have obscured key forensic evidence. Poisons like colchicine or aconitine (from monkshood) are plausible. These substances can:

• Cause delayed onset of severe symptoms, allowing victims to be mobile before collapse.
• Leave little to no detectable trace if not specifically tested for early.
• Break down naturally in heat, water, or decomposition—making postmortem toxicology inconclusive.

This would explain cases where individuals were found in water or wooded areas with no signs of assault or overdose. The killer, if there is a single actor, could be exploiting environmental degradation to cover their method.
I'm not presenting this as conclusive, but as a hypothesis grounded in toxicology and behavioral logic. If true, the implications would be significant—especially in how these deaths are being classified.
Would love to hear thoughts from others here. Has anyone come across similar toxicological patterns in cold or ambiguous cases?

 

[ForensicPatterns]

After reviewing all publicly available data, I believe there may be a common thread that hasn't been thoroughly investigated: the possibility of poisoning using fast-degrading, hard-to-detect compounds.
In particular, I’m proposing a theory that fits the unusual patterns in many of the deaths—where cause is inconclusive, no overt trauma is found, and decomposition or environmental exposure might have obscured key forensic evidence. Poisons like colchicine or aconitine (from monkshood) are plausible.

If anything, it would easily be a women, since Radford puts out an annual report on this (last was 2023!), and found 54.5% of the time women will use poison before ay other means of killing, while only like 2.4% of men do this instead. Male serial killer are more likely to strangle, stab, use a gun, bludgeoned, or an axe/machete before using poison.

Which means by your theory, it would be a woman responsible for this for years or even decades.

 

[AgathonM]

If anything, it would easily be a women, since Radford puts out an annual report on this (last was 2023!), and found 54.5% of the time women will use poison before ay other means of killing, while only like 2.4% of men do this instead. Male serial killer are more likely to strangle, stab, use a gun, bludgeoned, or an axe/machete before using poison.

View attachment 598003

Which means by your theory, it would be a woman responsible for this for years or even decades.

I would agree, a woman would also be able to easily approach her victims more than a man as she generally wouldn't be considered a threat by many people. If posion was administered it would have to be through ingestion as injection or inhalation would alert the victim or take too much time, the victims couldn't have been drugged because that would show on a panel tox screen. The poison would have to be administered through digestion which could mean that the victims were picked at either bars, restaurants, etc. This is ofcourse all speculation based on the info avaliable to the public.

 

[ForensicPatterns]

I would agree, a woman would also be able to easily approach her victims more than a man as she generally wouldn't be considered a threat by many people. If posion was administered it would have to be through ingestion as injection or inhalation would alert the victim or take too much time, the victims couldn't have been drugged because that would show on a panel tox screen. The poison would have to be administered through digestion which could mean that the victims were picked at either bars, restaurants, etc. This is ofcourse all speculation based on the info avaliable to the public.

Especially if she was doing a death angel motivation of thinking she is "saving" people she deemed on the fringes or "sinning", like homeless people, sex workers, runaways, people who wouldn't be easily missed if they went missing. Hence why back in the day SK's easily targeted people like this because police wrote them off as not important, like what happened with Gilgo Beach.

Another is nursing home, pharmacy, or hospital, like in phlebotomy, CNA, or someone who has access to narcotics and medicine like a pharmacist.

I wonder if there are any homeless shelters, soup kitchens, or something similar like a church that helps those in need as there is a category of SKs who are motivated by religious reasons (good vs evil). If there is one that is like the middle point in every direction of the most victims found, that's where everyone can start mapping out who it could be.

Often times, it's the last person would think is capable of such acts and vile behaviors because they blend so well into the places they live by being very social and always overly friendly with everyone in town or they have a cover with a family as their way to look "normal" so no one questions the person with a family and a normal job, who is involved in their community.

This is the kind of profile I'm thinking it could be hypothetically:

- Height is probably 5'4" - 5'8"
- Dark brown to light brown hair
- Brown or Hazel eyes
- Mixed or white passing (easy way to not get caught is if you blend in and most of the victims are POC)
- Probably in their 50's now, probably started this in their mid to late 20's
- Probably grew up on a farm or military brat
- Military trained ( ie - how they can drag/carry body and defend themselves)
- Works for either a hospital, pharmacy, nursing home, church, shelter, or two areas like works for one of these and volunteers for a shelter or church to create a "clean" imagine to the public.
- Probably has a hatred for their mother and targets victims who remind them of their mother
- Might have a strict code and routine they live by so no one catches them, which is why no one has caught them yet.

But my other theory is it's two different people, a woman and a man, overlapping in the same areas. Woman is local and the guy is probably long haul truck driver.

 

[AgathonM]

Especially if she was doing a death angel motivation of thinking she is "saving" people she deemed on the fringes or "sinning", like homeless people, sex workers, runaways, people who wouldn't be easily missed if they went missing. Hence why back in the day SK's easily targeted people like this because police wrote them off as not important, like what happened with Gilgo Beach.

Another is nursing home, pharmacy, or hospital, like in phlebotomy, CNA, or someone who has access to narcotics and medicine like a pharmacist.

I wonder if there are any homeless shelters, soup kitchens, or something similar like a church that helps those in need as there is a category of SKs who are motivated by religious reasons (good vs evil). If there is one that is like the middle point in every direction of the most victims found, that's where everyone can start mapping out who it could be.

Often times, it's the last person would think is capable of such acts and vile behaviors because they blend so well into the places they live by being very social and always overly friendly with everyone in town or they have a cover with a family as their way to look "normal" so no one questions the person with a family and a normal job, who is involved in their community.

This is the kind of profile I'm thinking it could be hypothetically:

- Height is probably 5'4" - 5'8"
- Dark brown to light brown hair
- Brown or Hazel eyes
- Mixed or white passing (easy way to not get caught is if you blend in and most of the victims are POC)
- Probably in their 50's now, probably started this in their mid to late 20's
- Probably grew up on a farm or military brat
- Military trained ( ie - how they can drag/carry body and defend themselves)
- Works for either a hospital, pharmacy, nursing home, church, shelter, or two areas like works for one of these and volunteers for a shelter or church to create a "clean" imagine to the public.
- Probably has a hatred for their mother and targets victims who remind them of their mother
- Might have a strict code and routine they live by so no one catches them, which is why no one has caught them yet.

But my other theory is it's two different people, a woman and a man, overlapping in the same areas. Woman is local and the guy is probably long haul truck driver.

I appreciate the discussion. But some of these assumptions are a little beyond what the public data supports. There was no witnesses and no detailed description of a certain individual. For example, I’m not sure how we can determine military training or religious motivation without any confirmed behavioral signatures. Shouldn't we stick to what can be logically assumed based on geography, victims profiles, etc.?

 

[chaz]

One thing all the places have in common is that they are close to the highway to Hartford.
And they are less than two hours from Hartford.
Is there a distributioncentre who delivers in all those places?

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

I appreciate the discussion. But some of these assumptions are a little beyond what the public data supports. There was no witnesses and no detailed description of a certain individual. For example, I’m not sure how we can determine military training or religious motivation without any confirmed behavioral signatures. Shouldn't we stick to what can be logically assumed based on geography, victims profiles, etc.?

I'm also not familiar with any information on height, eye color, hair color, or psychological profile.

 

[Puzzleworth]

One thing all the places have in common is that they are close to the highway to Hartford.
And they are less than two hours from Hartford.
Is there a distributioncentre who delivers in all those places?

That describes about the whole of Southern New England. It's densely populated.

 

[Billy The Necromancer]

I have been playing with AI as a research tool for unsolved cases and just asked Google Gemini for a detailed report looking for a NESK connection. I asked for a list of murders, solved and unsolved in MA, RI, and CT between 2015 and 2025 broken down by age group and common risk factors including sex work, drug addiction, and housing status. The AI repeatedly complained about the lack of public information but did a pretty good job where it could.

Read on if you're interested in hearing the opinions of your new overlords.


This was Gemini's conclusion:
The analysis of homicides in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island from 2015-2025 reveals a complex landscape that often diverges from public perception. While specific cases highlight victims who were experiencing homelessness (Salem, MA, 2025), involved in sex work (Burlington, MA, 2015; and historical CT cases), had documented mental illness (Denise Leary, CT, 2025), or struggled with serious drug problems (Justina Stephie, 2024; Toki Zimmerlli, 2024; Isaias Bulus, 2021; and victims of William Devin Howell), it is important to note that these characteristics are not consistently available for all homicide victims due to data privacy and varied reporting practices across jurisdictions.

A notable pattern observed, particularly in 2025, is the frequent discovery of bodies in or around bodies of water. However, law enforcement consistently attributes these incidents to disparate circumstances rather than a single perpetrator, emphasizing the lack of forensic links. Victim ages span a wide range, from teenagers to individuals in their seventies. While recent high-profile cases in 2025 have featured victims predominantly in their 30s to 50s and beyond, broader demographic data indicates that younger adults, particularly those in their 20s, are disproportionately affected by homicides overall, especially in urban areas and among specific racial/ethnic groups.

full (30 page!) report is attached.

 

[Puzzleworth]

I have been playing with AI as a research tool for unsolved cases and just asked Google Gemini for a detailed report looking for a NESK connection. I asked for a list of murders, solved and unsolved in MA, RI, and CT between 2015 and 2025 broken down by age group and common risk factors including sex work, drug addiction, and housing status. The AI repeatedly complained about the lack of public information but did a pretty good job where it could.

Read on if you're interested in hearing the opinions of your new overlords.


This was Gemini's conclusion:
The analysis of homicides in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island from 2015-2025 reveals a complex landscape that often diverges from public perception. While specific cases highlight victims who were experiencing homelessness (Salem, MA, 2025), involved in sex work (Burlington, MA, 2015; and historical CT cases), had documented mental illness (Denise Leary, CT, 2025), or struggled with serious drug problems (Justina Stephie, 2024; Toki Zimmerlli, 2024; Isaias Bulus, 2021; and victims of William Devin Howell), it is important to note that these characteristics are not consistently available for all homicide victims due to data privacy and varied reporting practices across jurisdictions.

A notable pattern observed, particularly in 2025, is the frequent discovery of bodies in or around bodies of water. However, law enforcement consistently attributes these incidents to disparate circumstances rather than a single perpetrator, emphasizing the lack of forensic links. Victim ages span a wide range, from teenagers to individuals in their seventies. While recent high-profile cases in 2025 have featured victims predominantly in their 30s to 50s and beyond, broader demographic data indicates that younger adults, particularly those in their 20s, are disproportionately affected by homicides overall, especially in urban areas and among specific racial/ethnic groups.

full (30 page!) report is attached.

Don't rely on AI to think for you, friend. Already from the get-go, I can see a misattributed set ("historical CT cases" indicates older than the year range; WDH murdered women in 2003 but was convicted in 2017) a non-homicide (Denise Leary) a misspelled name (Justina "Stephie"--her surname was Steffy) and a person who just doesn't exist ("Toki Zimmerlli") From reading further, it seems it meant Tokie Zammerelli, who died of an overdose in 2022 and whose dealer, Walik Morrison (referred to as "Wik Morrison" in the LLM's "report") was convicted of delivering fentanyl, resulting in death.


Just from glancing at the first few pages, I see more errors (the Scarborough 11 case was a group of people who were in legal trouble for buying/living in a house together, not a violent crime) citing a Colorado murder case as happening in RI (and referring to the murderer as the victim) and more misattributed deaths.