“There is a serial killer in Cincinnati.” Seven bodies were found “chopped up.”
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No evidence of a serial killer in Cincinnati, police say
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Cincinnati officials said only one woman has been found dismembered in the city, contrary to social media rumors of a serial killer on the loose in Cincinnati.
After a woman’s dismembered body was discovered Nov. 5 in a Cincinnati neighborhood, social media users have spread rumors that more bodies were found and that a serial killer may be on the loose.
"Females please be safe and keep something on you and walk in groups," a person warned in a Nov 9 Facebook post. "There is a serial killer in Cincinnati."
The post claimed that seven women’s bodies have been found "chopped up" and urged followers to share the post to get the word out.
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
The body of one unidentified victim, a Black woman in her late 20s or early 30s, was found in a wooded area in the city’s North Fairmount neighborhood. Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Kode Sammarco said in a Nov. 7 news conference that she ruled the death a homicide.
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But no other dismembered bodies have been found. Sammarco, who couldn’t be reached because of the Veterans Day holiday, told The Cincinnati Enquirer in a Nov 9 article that her office had not received calls about any other dismembered bodies being discovered.
Cincinnati Police Department spokesperson Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said he has been receiving calls asking whether more bodies had been found.
"This is completely false," he told PolitiFact in a Nov. 10 email. "There is only one dismembered body found, which was located on Sunday, Nov. 5."
The investigation into that case continues.
The Facebook claim that a serial killer has dismembered seven women in Cincinnati is False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Nov. 9, 2023 (archived)
Lt. Jonathan Cunningham, Cincinnati Police Department spokesperson, email exchange, Nov. 10, 2023
Cincinnati Enquirer, Police, coroners debunk rumors of 'Cincinnati serial killer,' dismembered bodies, Nov. 9, 2023
Cincinnati Enquirer, Death of woman whose dismembered remains were found in North Fairmount ruled a homicide, Nov. 7, 2023
WLTW-5, Cincinnati, False reports of other dismembered bodies discovered, 'possible serial killer' shut down by police, Nov. 9, 2023
Fox-19, Cincinnati, Rumors of more dismembered bodies being found are false, Cincinnati police say, Nov. 7, 2023
Fox-19, Cincinnati, Dismembered body found in Cincinnati, coroner’s office says, Nov. 7, 2023
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No evidence of a serial killer in Cincinnati, police say
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