The discovery has fuelled rumours about a New England ‘serial killer’
Earlier this week, human remains were discovered in an area of New England, not far from Taylor Swift’s holiday home.
Police confirmed to PEOPLE that suspected human remains were found in the Watch Hill, Rhode Island, area, the affluent spot where the singer’s home is located.
Officers attended the scene on Everett Avenue at around 9:30am on Wednesday, May 14 and found ‘what appeared to be a human leg bone’, the news outlet reports.
The Westerly Police Department said in a statement: “Investigators are awaiting official confirmation of the identity of the remains.
“No foul play is suspected at this time.”
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The discovery has sparked concern among locals, especially because a dozen other remains have been found across towns in New England, including Connecticut (New Haven, Norwalk, Groton, and Killingly), as well as Foster (Rhode Island), Framingham, Plymouth, and Springfield (Massachusetts).
While it’s fuelled rumours even further about a ‘serial killer’, it’s important to note that police have confirmed they are not looking for a murderer on the loose, meanwhile not all of the deaths are being treated as suspicious.
Following the discovery of a woman’s body in Springfield last month, identified as 45-year-old Meggan Meredith, district attorney Anthony Gulluni said: “Unverified claims can compromise active investigations…
“At this time, there is no indication that these incidents are connected to each other or they are part of a larger public safety threat.”
Despite the police statements on the speculation, online sleuths are convinced that there could be a serial killer in New England.
Facebook groups and threads have been set up with thousands discussing the cases and how they could be linked.
Human remains have been found in Watch Hill, Rhode Island (Getty Stock Photo)
Where have the bodies been found?
The body of a woman, identified as 35-year-old Paige Fannon, was found by a police scuba team on March 6 from the Norwalk River, the New Haven Register reported.
On the same day Fannon was found, officers over in Plymouth were called out to reports of remains found by a hunter in the woods, which was later confirmed to be a human skull with its jaw and nasal area missing.
Police in Groton then discovered the body of a woman, believed to be between 40 to 60 years old, inside a suitcase near a cemetery on March 19, as per WTNH.
That same week, authorities in New Haven found the decomposed body of Denise Leary on March 21, who was found in a ‘state of decay’ in a wooded area behind a home. Then on March 25, the body of 56-year-old Michele Romano was found in a wooded area off Plainfield Pike in Rhode Island, as per WJAR.
On April 9 and 10, unidentified remains of a man believed to be between 25 to 45 years old were found in Killingly, Connecticut, as well as further unidentified remains in Massachusetts.
On April 21, more unidentified remains were located in the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, by a boater.
The next day, a woman later identified as Meggan Meredith, died after being found ‘unresponsive’ off a bike path in Springfield which police are treating as a homicide.
On April 23, the bodies of two men were found in the woods near a Walmart in Salem, Massachusetts.
There have been a string of other discoveries in the region (Boston 25 News)
What have police said?
Police are categorically ruling out a serial killer. In fact, some believe the speculation could cause more harm than good.
After the latest suspected human remains were found this week, Westerly Police Chief Paul Gingerella told Fox News Digital: “As far as I’m concerned, as far as right now, this has nothing to do with any serial killer [or] any New England murderer.”
Meanwhile, Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said the rumours could compromise investigations, reports MetroWest.
“While online conversations around these incidents continue to grow, we urge the public to be mindful of the role that social media can play in spreading fear or misinformation,” he said.
“Unverified claims can compromise active investigations and contribute to a sense of chaos that does not reflect the full picture.”
Could there really be a New England serial killer?
Following all the speculation, a criminologist has spoken about the likelihood of a serial killer in the region.
James Alan Fox, a Northeastern University criminologist, told Northeastern Global News: “Most serial killers have some commonality in their victims.
“Usually it’s the sex, race, age or physical features of the victims. That’s not always true, of course, but they tend to have a particular preference for the victim type. But in these cases there are so many dissimilarities.”
Fox also said that there were no similarities in where the bodies were found, either.
“There’s no pattern to the dump sites,” said Fox. “A lot of serial killers will have a particular dump site where they dispose of their bodies. So when police do find evidence from a serial killer, they tend to find multiple bodies because the killer feels comfortable about disposing of bodies in that location.
“More than 70% of serial killers kill in one locale, typically around their home or workplace or somewhere where they know the roads and the escape patterns.
“It’s much safer for them to kill in a place where they know the terrain. Plus they tend to have jobs and families, which means they kill part time — literally, they have some free time to kill. And in general they can’t spend weeks and months traveling around finding victims.”Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Matt Winkelmeyer
Topics: Celebrity, Taylor Swift, Crime, News, US News
Updated 15:22 16 May 2025 GMT+1Published 13:37 16 May 2025 GMT+1
Everything we know as student who went missing in Thailand is found and arrested more than 4,000 miles away
Bella Culley’s family reported the teenager as missing earlier this week
A British teenager’s backpacking trip has taken a turn for the worst after she was arrested in Georgia.
Bella Culley from Billingham, UK, was travelling around Thailand when her family reported her missing on Tuesday (May 13) after not having heard from her for a few days. Culley had been in the Philippines last month before arriving in Thailand on May 3.
Then, in an unexpected turn of events, Culley’s family learned that the 18-year-old had been arrested in Georgia over 4,000 miles away from her last known location in Thailand.
The teenager was taken into custody at Tbilisi International Airport. She reportedly had 12kg (26lbs) of marijuana and 2kg (4.4lbs) of hashish on her at the time, says BBC News, and has since been charged by Georgian police with illegally buying, possessing and importing large quantities of narcotics.
Who is Bella May Culley?
Bella Culley was recently reported missing by her family (Facebook/Bella May Culley)
Culley is an 18-year-old student from County Durham, UK, who reportedly had hopes of studying nursing when she returned home from her travels, The Independent reports.
Her mother told Teesside Live that she had travelled to the Philippines with a friend before going to Thailand, while her friend went to Ibiza instead.
The teen is also reportedly pregnant and said so at the recent hearing of hers in Georgia, as per her state-appointed lawyer, Ia Todua.
Her lawyer continued in a statement: “This was her first time in court, and she was terrified and confused, kind of lost. Because of that, we decided to exercise the right to remain silent. In a few days, after we’ve had consultations and discussions, we’ll decide whether and how to adjust this position.
“New lawyers, private ones, both Georgian and British, will soon be involved and more details will be told.”
What’s next for Bella May Culley?
Officials allege that drugs were discovered in a bag supposedly belonging to Culley (Ministry of Internal Affairs)
Apparently prosecutors have said that they need two months to gather evidence on Culley and the crimes she’s been accused of before the case is brought to trial.
Todua said: “They said that they had to conduct a lot of investigative activities, so that they can collect evidence, establish where it was from [the narcotics] and was she planning to hand it over to someone.
“That’s what they said they want to establish, and they also confiscated her phone.”
If found guilty, Culley could land herself life behind bars (20 years). She would be housed in Georgia’s only women’s prison, Prison No.5.
She is being preliminarily detained until July 1 while investigations are ongoing.
What have officials said?
Culley also reportedly claimed that she was pregnant (Facebook)
As per The Independent, The Georgian interior ministry said in a statement: “B.K, born in 2006, is charged with illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics, illegally purchasing and storing the narcotic drug marijuana, and illegally importing it into Georgia. The committed crime envisions up to 20 years – or life imprisonment.”
The British Foreign Office isn’t believed to have said much on the case other than that it is ‘supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia’.
Culley’s parents, Neil and Kerry Culley, arrived in Georgia on Wednesday (May 14), Mail Online reports, but they have been unable to see their daughter because of paperwork problems.Featured Image Credit: Bella Culley/Handout
Topics: Thailand, Drugs, Travel, Crime, UK News, World News
Updated 11:03 24 Apr 2025 GMT+1Published 11:04 24 Apr 2025 GMT+1
Everything we know after 8 people found dead in area within weeks as serial killer fears heighten
Speculation is growing around a ‘New England serial killer’
Fears are mounting over the possibility of a serial killer on the loose across a tri-state area after several bodies were found close by in a matter of weeks.
Dozens of residents across New England are raising the alarm that there could be a murderer lurking somewhere in the region after the human remains or dead bodies of eight people were found across the three states, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, in the past few months.
Here’s everything we know about the matter so far.
Where were the bodies found?
Throughout March and April, the human remains of eight bodies, believed to be mostly women, were found in four towns in Connecticut, (New Haven, Norwalk, Groton, and Killingly), Foster in Rhode Island and Framingham, Plymouth, and Springfield in Massachusetts.
Not all of the bodies have been formally identified yet, and while many have been found in the two-month period, that fact does not indicate they died around the same time.
The body of Paige Aliehs Fannon was found in the water (GoFundMe)
Scuba divers recover body from Norwalk River
The body of a woman, identified as 35-year-old Paige Fannon, was found by a police scuba team on March 6 from the Norwalk River, the New Haven Register reported.
Police were looking for Fannon, who was a resident of West Islip on Long Island, after she was reported missing in New York the day before her body was discovered.
Her clothes and personal items were also reportedly found on the riverbank.
Hunter finds human remains in Plymouth
On the same day Fannon was found, officers over in Plymouth were called out to reports of human remains found by a hunter in the woods.
The hunter initially believed the bones were that of an animal before realizing and alerting the authorities, PEOPLE reports.
It was later determined the bone was the top half of a human skull with its jaw and nasal area missing.
The age, gender, and identity of the victim is yet to be confirmed.
Remains of woman found in a suitcase in Groton
Over in Groton, about 80 miles east of Norwalk in the state, police recovered a body from inside a suitcase near a cemetery on March 19, as per WTNH.
The authorities believe the remains are of that of a woman between 40 to 60 years old.
Denise Leary was reported missing in September (New Haven Police Department)
Dead body of missing woman found in New Haven woods
On March 20, authorities in New Haven found the decomposed body of Denise Leary.
Cops were called to block 100 of Rock Creek Road by residents who said they found human remains while clearing brush in a wooded area behind the house, a statement from New Haven Police said at the time.
They added the remains were ‘in an advanced state of decay’, but later confirmed it was the body of the 59-year-old.
Leary reportedly vanished in September and had a history of mental health issues and paranoid schizophrenia.
She was last seen at her home near Rock Creek Road, reported WFSB at the time.
Body of 56-year-old woman found in Rhode Island woodland
The body of Michele Romano was found on March 26 in a wooded area off Plainfield Pike in Rhode Island, as per WJAR.
The mom-of-two reportedly vanished eight months prior and was reported missing by a concerned family member.
A resident, Tom Slater, told the news outlet how his dog may have found the remains earlier.
“I know my dog has been acting strange when he comes out here,” he said. “He’s always sniffing over that way. I don’t know how long the body has been over there but he would pick up on it.”
Romano’s friend, John Michelotti, also called for justice to be served.
“She didn’t just die and end up in the woods,” he said. “Someone has to be held accountable for what happened to her.”
Friends and family are demanding justice for Michele Romano (Facebook/Justice for Michele Romano)
Unidentified remains in Killingly
Another investigation is currently underway over in Killingly after Connecticut State Police confirmed the discovery of human remains.
Cops are yet to determine the gender, age, and circumstances of death.
Woman found unresponsive in Springfield
Then, most recently on Tuesday (April 22), a woman was found unresponsive off a bike path in Springfield at the 1500 block of Hall of Fame Avenue.
Officers and medical professionals declared the woman dead at the scene, Springfield Police Department spokesperson Ryan Walsh confirmed, with an autopsy yet to determine the cause of death.
Her death presents the eighth body to be discovered across the region in two months and the third within the state of Massachusetts.
Why do people think there is a serial killer?
Some fear the suspicious discoveries of the mostly female victims indicate a serial killer could be on the loose in the the neighboring states.
A Facebook group previously dubbed ‘New England Serial Killer’ started the speculation and had more than 65,000 members before its name had to be changed due to rules and regulations in place on the social media site.
Other groups have since cropped up in its wake, with one warning about ‘sinister shadows lurking in the Southern New England tri-state area,’ adding that the community is ‘gripped by fear and uncertainty.’
Peter Valentin said the discoveries is ‘curious’ (Fox News Digital)
Peter Valentin, chair of the Forensic Science Department at the University of New Haven, also highlighted to Fox News Digital that Springfield police have not revealed a cause of death for the Springfield woman, nor if her death was a homicide.
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.”
He also said that police responding to reports of an unresponsive person is ‘strongly suggestive of someone who did not have any post-mortem artifacts that would negate the need to check for vital signs needed to make a pronouncement’.
“If someone is in full rigor mortis, there is no need to try to find a pulse because the presence of rigor mortis means they are unequivocally dead. So this is a very recent death, unlike the others that are being attributed to the [New England] serial killer,” he added.
What police say about the New England serial killer
Authorities have not revealed any connection between the deaths, with Walsh telling the outlet that ‘internet rumors are just that’.
Connecticut State Police have also tried to squash rumors, 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.’Featured Image Credit: Facebook
Topics: Connecticut, Crime, Police, US News
Updated 16:59 27 Feb 2025 GMTPublished 12:54 27 Feb 2025 GMT
Everything we know so far after Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa found dead with their dog at home
The Hollywood legend and classical pianist had been married for 34 years
As police confirm the tragic news actor Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, have been found dead at their New Mexico home, we take a look at everything we know so far.
On Wednesday (February 26), the couple and their pet dog were found dead at their residence on Sunset Trail, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed.
While investigations are still ongoing, Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, has now spoken out on what she believes caused Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths.
She reportedly told TMZ that while she is not sure how the pair died, she reckons it could be related to toxic fumes, suspecting their cause of death to be carbon monoxide poisoning.
Meanwhile, Sky News has reported that ‘a gas company has said it is assisting in the investigation into the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa had been married for 34 years (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
The couple were found dead in different rooms
A search warrant from police in Santa Fe has now revealed that Hackman and Arakawa had been dead for ‘some time’ and were found in different rooms.
The couple’s dog was found dead in similar circumstances, police added.
Hackman was found in a mudroom – a room used for dirty or wet footwear and clothing – while Arakawa was found dead in a bathroom, where there was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the counter top.
An official cause and time of death is yet to be confirmed as authorities continue their investigations.
No ‘foul play’ involved
The police department previously said they did not believe foul play was a factor in their deaths.
In addition to this, Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, confirmed that neither Arakawa or Hackman had gunshot wounds, or any other type of wounds.
Investigations are still ongoing.
DoubleOscar winner Hackman, 95 and Arakawa, 63, had been married for 34 years and led extremely private lives.
They moved to Santa Fe in 1990 after Hackman retired from Hollywood and pursued a career as an author.
Hackman’s last public appearance
Hackman and Arakawa were last spotted in public on March 28, 2024 for a dinner date at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe.
The actor, remembered for his roles Superman, Unforgiven and French Connection, was pictured walking with a cane and holding onto his wife.
The star underwent surgery for angina
The actor starred in The French Connection (Bettmann/Getty Images)
After a hugely successful career spanning six decades, Hackman retired from the industry in 2004 at the age of 74.
His final roles were in Runaway Jury and Welcome to Mooseport.
Hackman later revealed issues with his health encouraged him to pursue a slower pace of life.
“The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,” he told Empire in a 2009 interview.
“The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
Hackman had previously undergone angioplasty surgery, which is where a balloon is inserted to widen blocked arteries.
Hackman wanted to be remembered as ‘a decent actor’
Hackman in 1973 (Evening Standard/Getty Images)
In a 2011 interview with GQ, Hackman, then 81, revealed how he wanted to be remembered.
“As a decent actor,” he began. “As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion.”
Hackman continued: “I don’t know, beyond that. I don’t think about that often, to be honest. I’m at an age where I should think about it.”
Hackman was married once before
Hackman was previously married to Faye Maltese and the couple shared three children together: son Christopher Allen and daughters Leslie Anne and Elizabeth Jean.
They were wed for 30 years before divorcing in 1986.
Hackman and ex-wife Faye Maltese (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Hackman had been candid about his strained relationship with his kids, telling The Irish Independent in 2000: “I couldn’t always be home with them when they were growing up and then, living in California, they’ve had my success always hanging over their heads.”
In his GQ interview, he shed further light on their dynamic.
When asked what advice he would give son Christopher, Hackman responded: “I lost touch with my son in terms of advice early on. Maybe it had to do with being gone so much, doing location films when he was at an age where he needed support and guidance.
“It was very tough for me to be gone for three months and then come home and start bossing him around.”
Arakawa and Hackman’s marriage
Hackman and Arakawa had a 32-year age gap (Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Hackman and Arakawa began dating in the mid-80s after meeting at the gym where she worked part-time. They had a 32-year age gap.
But the actor was sure to clear up any misconceptions to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about their relationship overlapping with his marriage to first wife
Unlike his character Harry Mackenzie in 1985’s Twice in a Lifetime, Hackman explained: “By the way, I did not leave my real-life wife for a younger woman.
“We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other.
“When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love.”Featured Image Credit: Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Topics: Gene Hackman, Hollywood, Celebrity, US News
Published 10:44 16 May 2025 GMT+1
Shocking request Blake Lively allegedly ‘demanded’ from Taylor Swift revealed amid Justin Baldoni legal drama
Taylor Swift has been roped into Blake Lively’s ongoing legal fallout with Justin Baldoni
An alleged ‘demand’ Blake Lively made of her close friend Taylor Swift has been revealed.
Lively has been embroiled in a high-profile legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni since late last year, and Swift has seemingly been dragged into the mix.
It all started when Lively filed a suit against Baldoni in December 2024 alleging sexual harassment, which he has since denied.
More suits have since been filed by both Hollywood actors and they’re scheduled to go to trial next year.
In the midst of the ongoing back-and-forth between Baldoni and Lively, music star Swift has been mentioned by Baldoni in his filing.
In his suit he mentions text messages between Lively and a ‘megacelebrity’ named Taylor, who Baldoni’s team later confirmed to NBC News was Swift.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni trial could be moved forward
Credits: CNN
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According to the news outlet, one of Lively’s texts to Swift read: “If you ever get around to watching Game of Thrones, you’ll appreciate that I’m Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons. For better or worse, but usually better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for. So really we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. You will too, I can promise you.”
Now, in a new filing by Baldoni’s lawyers on Wednesday (May 14), they alleged that Lively asked Swift to delete their texts.
Apparently, the Gossip Girl alum ‘demanded that Ms. Swift release a statement of support for Ms. Lively’ and that if she refused to do so ‘private text messages of a personal nature in Ms. Lively’s possession would be released’, ABC News reports.
Blake Lively and Taylor Swift seen together in 2023 (Gotham/GC Images)
“Lively requested that Taylor Swift delete their text messages,” Baldoni’s attorneys go on to claim in the new filing.
Supposedly, a rep for the 14-time Grammy Award winning singer ‘addressed these inappropriate and apparently extortionate threats in at least one written communication’.
The claims come from an unidentified ‘source’ who reportedly spoke to Baldoni’s team.
In responses, Lively’s lawyer Mike Gottlieb branded the new allegations as ‘categorically false’.
Lively’s lawyer has denied the claims made in the new filing (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Gottlieb continued to tell ABC News in a statement: “We unequivocally deny all of these so-called allegations, which are cowardly sourced to supposed anonymous sources, and completely untethered from reality.
“This is what we have come to expect from the Wayfarer parties’ lawyers, who appear to love nothing more than shooting first, without any evidence, and with no care for the people they are harming in the process. We will imminently file motions with the court to hold these attorneys accountable for their misconduct here.”
UNILAD have approached representatives of Taylor Swift for comment.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal case timeline
- May 2023: Filming for It Ends With Us starring Baldoni and Lively begins
- August 2024: It Ends With Us arrives in cinemas
- December 2024: Lively accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and goes on to file federal lawsuit against him
- January 2025: Baldoni files a countersuit against Lively and Ryan Reynolds for defamation
- February 2025: Baldoni creates website with timeline of events and amended complaint
- May 2025: Taylor Swift subpoenaed by Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman
- March 2026: Trial will begin
Featured Image Credit: Gotham/GC Images via Getty Images/John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images
Topics: Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, Justin Baldoni, Celebrity, News
