The Fayetteville Police Department announced Tuesday that there is no known connection to the string of bodies found along Bragg Street recently.
“With regard to these recent investigations, there is no evidence to suggest a relationship between any of the cases,” a statement on the department’s social media pages said.
“As investigators await information from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and conduct their investigation, it is imperative that we do not allow social media or other narratives to reach a conclusion that brings fear to our community or disrupts the investigative process.”
Since September 25, the bodies of four people — two sets of remains in advanced stages of decomposition — have been found along Bragg Street or in a neighborhood off Bragg Street.
Organizations
– October 16: Skeletal remains She was found in the woods off Villaggio Place on Bragg Boulevard, according to a news release issued Monday.
— Oct. 11: A decomposing body was found in the former All Stars Bar and Grill restaurant at 1204 Bragg Blvd. Police said the building had been vacant for several years. Tuesday’s statement was the first public mention of the discovery.
– October 11: The body of Crystal Loughran, 40 years oldHe was found in the woods at Fieldcrest and Cedric streets off Bragg Boulevard near Bonnie Doon, a news release said last week. Loughran’s identity was revealed on Monday. “The investigation into the death has been ruled a homicide, and investigators are actively pursuing leads and information to resolve this investigation,” the statement said.
– Sept. 25: A person was found dead behind the Motel 6 at 3719 Bragg Blvd. Police said the person appeared to have been at the location for “a few days.” Tuesday’s statement was the first public mention of the discovery.
“The Fayetteville Police Department, as well as the District Commander, are aware of the incidents and have deployed additional police resources to assist in these investigations, including the Bonnie Doon Area Community Empowerment Response Team (CERT),” the statement read.
Investigations are ongoing
On Tuesday, at least eight unmarked police cars and four forensic trucks were parked along Villagio Place as members of the Fayetteville Police Department searched the wooded site where the bones were discovered Monday.
A person living in a nearby “camp” found the skeletal remains lying on the surface of the ground, Chief Kimberly Braden said from the scene about a half-mile into the woods Tuesday.
He said the bones were scattered but were likely due to animal activity. It is believed that they are the remains of one person, according to Braden, but it is not yet known whether this person is male or female. The area is frequented by homeless people, and with plans to expand into a nearby housing complex, excavations in the area will likely uncover other remains belonging to a transient person, Braden said.
About a mile and a half from Villaggio Place on Tuesday, all that remained near where Loughrin was found was a small, colorful teddy bear, a bouquet of flowers and helium balloons in a clearing in the woods off Cedric Street.
Social media rumours
While Braden was adamant Tuesday that there was no serial killer stalking the area — rumors were rife on social media.
One such post includes a photo of an accused killer and a news article about his arrest, claiming: “There’s a serial killer or kidnapper currently stalking #Fayetteville. My friend almost kidnapped him.”
Photo and article by A July 2018 New York Times article Regarding the arrest of Jose Gilberto Rodriguez in Houston, Texas. He is accused of committing three murders and two violent robberies there. Jail records in Harris County, Texas, showed Tuesday that Rodriguez remained in custody awaiting trial on murder charges.
An Associated Press article from August said Rodriguez’s photo had been circulated on social media in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Alabama, with the same language and claims of a serial killer on the loose that were used in the Fayetteville Facebook post.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville Police Chief dispels rumors of a serial killer stalking the city
