3 Reasons We Dismiss Cops Who Deny Rumors
Why cops who quash speculation about serial killers have little effect.
Updated July 17, 2025 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley
A murder in Maine during the first week of July renewed fear of a serial killer roaming New England. The 48-year-old woman had gone paddle-boarding, and her body was found near a pond. An autopsy ruled the death a homicide, which triggered widespread alarm.
Since March 25, at least 13 bodies have been discovered in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine. Most turned up in wooded areas. Some are just skeletal or partial remains. They aren’t all necessarily homicides, let alone stranger murders, but it’s difficult to know. Law enforcement offers little information for a victimology or linkage analysis. A Facebook group, New England Serial Killer, has tens of thousands of members discussing this.
Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss told one news outlet that such activity just makes the situation worse. “Floating unverified claims without facts fuels fear. It’s irresponsible. Right now, the focus for detectives is following where the evidence leads and keeping the integrity of the case intact.”
In the Connecticut Examiner recently, forensic pathologist Peter Cummings offered a detailed rational argument: inconsistencies with the MO and geography, the lack of a linking signature, the absence of spatial clustering, the timeline, and the known victimology so far indicate that the collection of bodies is “just a mosaic of human tragedy.” He understands that “the story of a ‘New England serial killer’ is compelling” but says that “the hard forensic truth tells a different tale.”
Still, his statements are based on probability or likelihood. This leaves room for someone acting outside the expected pattern—someone like random serial killer Israel Keyes . For such an analysis, probability trumps possibility, but possibility feeds rumors.
Similarly, in Austin, Texas, a recent death in Lady Bird Lake reignited longstanding fears of a serial killer operating there. The body of a 17-year-old male brought the body count to 38 since 2022 (as per Fox News, but other sources give much lower numbers or many more years for the count). The Austin police believe this man accidentally drowned, but there are too many deaths in this body of water to ignore. Most victims—30—were young men. One factor appears to be the bars on Rainey Street, near the lake: Maybe some victims were inebriated and fell in. The leading cause of these deaths is accidental drowning, followed by suicide and drug-related deaths. Just one has been ruled a homicide, and about half a dozen remain unknown. Still, some victims look alike, and some deaths are suspiciously clustered. Also, murder can be staged to look like suicide or an accident.
The authorities say there is no risk to the public. “APD has not found any evidence to support that these deaths are suspicious or connected to criminal activity,” the department said in a statement to Fox News. “All of these incidents have been thoroughly investigated, and the vast majority have been determined to involve factors such as mental health issues, natural causes like heart attacks, inability to swim, substance use, or underlying medical conditions.”
These officials seek the public’s trust, but the rumors may persist. Social media influencers doubt that the full truth has been told. Here are three reasons why.
1. In some past cases, official denials were offered just to avoid panic or media pressure.
For example, in 1983, Detective Michael Malchik was investigating a missing person in Connecticut, Tammy Williams, when he heard about the abduction of Debra Smith Taylor. These women were so similar in appearance and had vanished under such similar circumstances that he thought a serial killer might link them. His chief denied his request to pursue it. They had no leads and no hope of reassuring residents about their safety, so he wanted to avoid reporters’ queries.
Malchik leaked the story to a newspaper. The chief still resisted the idea and threatened to fire or transfer him. Yet, Malchik was right and the chief was wrong. Within nine months, four more females were grabbed and murdered. Malchik learned about a blue Toyota seen near the most recent victim, so he focused on locals with such cars. The first person he talked to was Michael Bruce Ross. Within hours, Ross confessed to eight murders, including Williams and Taylor.
2. Cops have mismanaged some investigations.
The multiple murder cases on Long Island might have been solved earlier with an arrest if key officials hadn’t been involved in corruption. Gilgo Beach victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes disappeared in 2007. Her body was found in 2010, along with 10 other sets of remains. The cases went cold. The Suffolk County police chief at the time reportedly refused to share information with the FBI, blocking federal resources until the chief was eventually indicted for criminal behavior. Once he was replaced, the new task force made progress, identifying the victims and arresting Rex Heuermann. However, public distrust remained.
3. Poor information distribution creates holes that people fill with information that feels right to them.
Cognitive psychologist Daniel Kahneman writes about the human mind as a “machine for jumping to conclusions.” When the neglect of ambiguity and a natural suppression of doubt meet gaps in data, the mind reaches for a coherent and tidy narrative. In other words, we dislike multiple options and loose ends, so we draw quick conclusions compatible with our beliefs. Few of us take the time needed to consider alternatives and to test our notions. This requires mental effort and sometimes specialized education .
We tend to focus on information that’s readily available and to pursue what seems like the best possible story. If there’s emotional investment—like quieting our fears—that story remains the primary narrative, firmly anchored against future facts that may contradict it.
So, given our true- crime obsessions and the pervasive exposure to serial killer stories, reports of multiple bodies in a defined geographic area will inevitably raise the specter of a serial killer. We expect that once information about victims is released, it will confirm what we believe. When it’s not released or it doesn't confirm, it can feel like a shoddy investigation or a cover-up.
Amateur sleuths want to decide for themselves. In the absence of data, the rumors that police hope to suppress will likely persist.
Bonavita, J. (2025, July 5). Serial killer fears grip Texas community after dozens of bodies pulled from lake: 'Cannot be ignored'. Fox News.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow . New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Mark, M. (2023, July 23). The Gilgo Beach murders might have been solved years ago if police and prosecutors hadn't fumbled the case. Business Insider.
Ziner, K. L. (2005, Jan. 16). He caught Michael Ross—Detective Michael Malchick suspected a serial killer when others didn’t want to hear it. Providence Journal .
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Katherine Ramsland, Ph.D., is a professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University and the author of 69 books.
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