CMPD says death cases are not linked, debunks ‘inaccurate’ social media rumors
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police took to social media Tuesday to debunk a rumor circulating within the city that recent deaths are somehow the work of a serial killer.
The deaths referenced in social media posts have not been proven to be connected, police said, and some that were cited in the rumors are overdoses with no foul play suspected.
A Facebook page called Charlotte Alerts is cited in a TikTok by “macolingo” about the rumors. The video posted Monday received more than 40,000 views.
The TikTok cites four articles published by the Facebook page and speculates that there may be a serial killer. So far only two of these deaths have been verified by police as actually occurring.
One person was found shot and killed on Oct. 23 in a wooded area off of W.T. Harris Boulevard. The victim has since been identified as 32-year-old Ahylea Willard.
The only other confirmed death mentioned in the video is that of a woman found at the Southern Comfort Inn. Police said on the city’s website Oct. 7 that this was a death investigation, and have not yet released more information.
The video goes on to reference two other cases where police have not confirmed there have been deaths. In addition to TikTok, rumors surfaced on other social media platforms, including Nextdoor and Facebook.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police told The Charlotte Observer Tuesday afternoon that the Charlotte Alerts Facebook page is “spreading inaccurate and unverified information.”
“The posts referenced death investigations, claiming them to be linked,” CMPD said on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. “There is no evidence at this time that any of the cases are linked.”
CMPD said it always informs the public of instances where there is a verified threat. For instance, the department warned the public of a possible killer just last year when it called a press conference to announce the murders of two Black, transgender sex workers.
In 2021, two men were arrested and charged with killing the women. Dontarius Long, 21, and Joel Brewer, 33 were arrested and charged with the deaths of Jaida Peterson, 29, and Remy Fennell, 28.
This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 6:16 PM.
