Police speak out after 8 people found dead in area within weeks as serial killer fears heighten

Police have issued a statement after eight people were found dead in the same area within just weeks of each other, raising concerns that a serial killer may be on the loose.

On Tuesday (April 22), a woman was found unresponsive off a bike path in Springfield at the 1500 block of Hall of Fame Avenue.

When officers and medical professionals arrived at the scene, the woman was soon pronounced dead, Springfield Police Department spokesperson Ryan Walsh confirmed.

Walsh said: "The SPD Homicide Unit under the direction Captain Trent Duda is conducting an unattended death investigation in conjunction with the @HampdenDA Murder Unit, pending an autopsy by the Medical Examiner."

A woman was found responsive in Springfield (Getty Stock Photo)

While police have issued this initial statement, it remains unclear what exactly happened to the woman.

Eight people, most of whom are believed to be women, have died in both March and April in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, prompting many to wonder whether there could be a serial killer.

Over the past two months, human remains have been located in the likes of New Haven, Norwalk, Groton and Killingly, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Authorities have not announced any connection between the eight deaths, with Walsh telling Fox News Digital that 'internet rumors are just that'.

Connecticut State Police have also released a statement recently, saying 'there is no information at this time suggesting any connection to similar remains discoveries, and there is also no known threat to the public at this time' in relation to the multiple deaths in the state.

Police have spoken out after eight people have been found dead (Getty Stock Photo)

A Facebook group previously dubbed 'New England Serial Killer' began the speculation, though its name has since changed due to rules and regulations in place on the social media site.

Peter Valentin, who is the chair of the Forensic Science Department at the University of New Haven, has been speaking to Fox News Digital amid recent stories.

He noted the important point that Springfield police have yet to reveal a cause of death for the woman who was found unresponsive on the bike path.

Valentin told the outlet: "I am curious about what was recovered around the body. There might have been paraphernalia suggestive of activity that is deemphasizing homicide (perhaps incorrectly) to the investigators because that article is quite tepid. It is filled with very cautious language (surely taken right from police press releases), which might be intentional to not feed into what is now turning into intense scrutiny over every suspicious death in New England."

UNILAD has contacted the Springfield Police Department for comment.