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Residents of the affluent coastal area of Watch Hill, part of the town of Westerly, were taken aback when a human leg bone was discovered near Swift’s famous Holiday House, a location she mentions in her song The Last Great American Dynasty.
The discovered remains were promptly sent to the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office for additional examination. The South Kingston Police Department has identified the deceased as Eric Wein, a 31-year-old from Massachusetts, who had been reported missing since April 18.
Authorities had previously noted that his vehicle was found illegally parked in South Kingston on April 10, which was eight days prior to being officially listed as missing, as reported by WPRI.
But police do not believe any foul play was involved, amid growing fears of a New England serial killer.
‘We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Wein’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,’ police said.
The discovery of Wein’s body came just three weeks after an unidentified male was found in the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island – about 48 miles away.
The two bodies led some locals to believe the remains that washed up ashore in Watch Hill may be connected to the rumors of a serial killer.
The human remains that washed ashore a wealthy enclave in Rhode Island last month have been identified as missing Massachusetts man Eric Wein, 31 (pictured)
A human leg bone was found in the wealthy coastal enclave of Watch Hill, not far from Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island mansion (pictured)
Swift sings about the mansion in her song The Last Great American Dynasty
‘My mind immediately went to all the theories that are being thrown around,’ resident Taylor Day told WJAR at the time.
But Westerly Police Chief Paul Gingerella quickly dispelled the rumors of a possible connection between the remains and the fears of a serial killer.
‘As far as I’m concerned, as far as right now, this has nothing to do with any serial killer [or] any New England murder,’ he previously told Fox News.
Authorities have also noted they do not believe a serial killer is rampant in New England, arguing that there has been no connection between the bodies that have been found in the weeks since March 6.
That day, 35-year-old Paige Fannon was found dead in the Norwalk River in Connecticut – and a human skull was discovered near Route 3 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Two weeks later on March 19, Suzanne Wormser’s remains were located in Groton, Connecticut, and the very next day, 59-year-old Denise Leary’s body was found near her home in New Haven, Connecticut.
On March 26, the remains of 56-year-old Michele Romano were also found in a wooded area in Foster, Rhode Island, and on April 9, unidentified remains were found in Killingly, Connecticut.
Swift (right) hosted her famous Fourth of July parties at her Watch Hill mansion last year
A number of bodies turned up over two months across New England, sparking fears of a serial killer
The following day, another unidentified body was discovered in Framingham, Massachusetts.
On April 20, a body was pulled from the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Two days later, the body 45-year-old Meggan Meredith was found near a bike path in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The bodies of Samuel Stovall, 51, Mary Colasanto, 72, and Jasmine Wilkes, 34, all surfaced across New England in the following weeks.
More recently, 21-year-old Adriana Suazo was found dead in a wooded area of Milton, Massachusetts, on June 1.
Only one arrest has taken place in connection to the murders when cancer-ridden Donald Coffel, 68, confessed to bludgeoning Wormser to death.
He even allegedly lived with her corpse for more than a week before dumping her remains.
But Coffel’s untimely death while being held at the Corrigan Correctional Center in Connecticut has sparked renewed speculation that he could be behind all – or at least some – of the deaths.
A Facebook group entitled New England Serial Killer exploded to over 68,000 members, and TikTok videos by amateur sleuths have garnered millions of views.
The death of Donald Coffel, 68, who confessed to bludgeoning his roommate to death prompted speculation he could be behind some or all of the deaths
Donald Coffel died Friday while being held at the Corrigan Correctional Center in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Department of Correction
Police, though, have pushed back hard. New Haven authorities said there is ‘no sign of foul play’ in Leary’s death, and Romano’s family has publicly denied the serial killer rumors.
‘Take my sister Michele’s name and pictures off of this effing website right now,’ Romano’s sister Valerie posted in a Facebook group. ‘She was not killed by a serial killer.’
Top serial killer experts also say the current evidence doesn’t support the theory, but are not entirely dismissing the idea.
‘Right now, there isn’t enough information to say yay or nay,’ said Dr. Ann Burgess, a pioneer in FBI serial killer profiling.
‘You almost have to go case by case, then take a look at it.’
Dr. Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychology professor who studied BTK killer Dennis Rader and co-wrote his book, added: ‘You can’t just assume all of them were murdered, and they’re all murdered by one person. That’s just silly.’
Still, Burgess admitted: ‘I think what’s impressive is how many bodies they had that nobody can account for — I think that’s a little alarming that these bodies are just showing up. So where they had been or how well they had been hidden is always quite interesting.’
To determine whether the deaths are linked, Ramsland said investigators would need information on cause of death, types of wounds, victim profiles, crime scene patterns, and more.
