JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Rumors about a serial killer in Jacksonville have been circulating widely on social media, but the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says those claims are false.
The situation began Saturday afternoon when officers found a man in his 20s or 30s dead on the side of the road.
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A few hours later, investigators discovered a woman dead in a parking lot near a fitness center in Mandarin.
On Sunday, officers were flagged down by someone who found a woman’s body under a bridge.
And on Sunday night, a woman’s body was found inside a home in the Phoenix neighborhood.
With no arrests announced and limited information released by police, online speculation quickly grew surrounding these incidents.
When asked if multiple deaths in a short time frame are unusual enough to raise red flags, News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney, who spent over 25 years with the sheriff’s office, explained the investigative process.
“Much of it depends on the medical examiner’s office,” Hackney explained. “If there’s a knife sticking out of somebody’s chest, it’s fairly obvious that this is a homicide, a murder.”
Regarding the impact of misinformation, Hackney added that information that can quickly change public perception.
“When these rumors start, you have to take a step back from inside law enforcement and say, ‘Probably we need to share some information to clarify this,’” he said.
After questions about the online speculation, JSO released a statement addressing the rumors directly.
The statement said, “JSO is aware of rumors circulating about a serial killer on the loose in Jacksonville. We can confirm these claims are FALSE. 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.”
JSO continues to ask anyone with information connected to any of these cases to reach out to them or CrimeStoppers.