Active Serial Killer

Is a serial killer slaying Black women and girls in Charlotte, North Carolina, with police unable to stop the culprit? No, that's not true: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) told Lead Stories that none of the cases reported online "have anything related - other than the race and gender of the victims and there is nothing to suggest a serial…

Is there currently an active serial killer investigation into a New York City male taxi driver who murders his passengers? No, that's not true: A Brooklyn District Attorney's Office spokesperson told Lead Stories they have no knowledge of an ongoing investigation regarding an active serial killer in New York or elsewhere. This is a recycled hoax that was previously debunked…

On November 10, 2021, Lead Stories published a fact check about an article published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on November 2, 2021. In response, the BMJ published an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg on December 17, 2021, calling our fact check "inaccurate, incompetent and irresponsible." We addressed their concerns in a December 18, 2021, article, going over their…

Is there a serial killer investigation in the Atlanta area, as a post implies? No, that's not true: The Atlanta-area murders of two women, who were killed in different ways and in separate attacks miles apart, are not connected, according to Atlanta-area police agencies. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on July 31, 2021. The text opens:…

Is there an active serial killer investigation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as of April 16, 2021? No, that's not true: Although the body of 18-year-old Louisiana State University student Kori Gauthier was recovered from the Mississippi River on April 13, 2021, authorities concluded there was no evidence of criminal activity or foul play in the case. The claim appeared in…

Were law enforcement officers investigating serial killings in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in mid-April, 2021? No, that's not true: The National Park Service (NPS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were investigating a dead body found in a national park. The claim appeared as a Facebook post (archived here) on April 12, 2021. It stated: There is literally a serious killer…