Florida authorities are dispelling claims that a serial killer is “on the loose” in Jacksonville after three women were found dead in the area in just three days.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is “aware of rumors circulating about a serial killer on the loose in Jacksonville. We can confirm these claims are FALSE,” authorities wrote in a social media post Tuesday.
“Our detectives are investigating recent homicide cases that involve female victims, following the facts and evidence in each case. We will share updates as soon as we are able to, but we want to reassure the community there is no danger to the public related [to] these incidents,” the post stated.
But the announcement still didn’t deter social media users from speculating that a serial killer could be responsible.
“Isn’t this what the police say in a news conference in every serial killer movie!” one Facebook user wrote.
“3 bodies in 3 days? Forgive me but you can’t credibly say it’s not a serial killer if you haven’t solved it yet,” another wrote.
“Well…honesty they’re probably IS one of two but we just don’t know about it yet,” yet another remarked.
There’s even an entire Reddit thread dedicated to the idea.
Rumors that a serial killer was in the area started circulating after three women were found dead in Jacksonville this week alone.
On Saturday, Cherrish Nunley, a 24-year-old mother of two, was found shot to death in a parking lot, according to News4Jax.
“She was killed in cold blood. She never got into trouble. She was a bright, beautiful girl, a wonderful mom and aunt, the best sister, and a great daughter,” a GoFundMe page for Nunley’s family states.
On Sunday, a fisherman discovered Tiffany Felton’s body under a bridge at Blanding Boulevard, ActionNewsJax reported.
Then on Monday, Jacksonville sheriff’s deputies found a woman unresponsive in a rooming house in the Phoenix neighborhood, FirstCoastNews reported. The circumstances around the woman’s death were not immediately clear, a sergeant told the outlet.
Initial reports suggest that the deaths are not connected. It’s not immediately clear if arrests have been made in any of the cases.
The Independent has asked the sheriff’s office for more information.
