Ct Police Quash New England Serial Killer Rumors, Arrest Man After Woman Found Dismembered In Suitcase

Officials successful Groton, Connecticut, connected Monday announced nan apprehension of a man successful relationship pinch nan murder of Suzanne Wormser, 58, whose assemblage was recovered dismembered and stuffed into a suitcase adjacent a cemetery connected March 19.

Donald Coffel, Wormser's 68-year-old roommate, is charged pinch murder, tampering pinch beingness grounds and disposing of a dormant assemblage in Connecticut Superior Court aft constabulary recovered Wormser's assemblage connected March 19, though they judge her remains were near successful nan cemetery sometime successful mid-March.

"Both nan unfortunate and nan fishy knew each other. This was a targeted event," Groton Police Department Chief David Burton said during a Monday property convention announcing Coffel's arrest.

Burton added that constabulary searched different crime segment astatine nan Groton residence Coffel and Wormser shared connected April 17 and interviewed Coffel, a personification of liking astatine nan clip who later became nan superior suspect.

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Donald Coffel, Wormser's 68-year-old roommate is charged pinch murder, tampering pinch beingness grounds and disposing of a dormant assemblage successful Connecticut Superior Court aft constabulary recovered Wormser's assemblage connected March 19, though they judge her remains were near successful nan cemetery sometime successful mid-March. (Groton PD/ iStock)

Coffel allegedly confessed to nan execution during his 3rd question and reply pinch police, saying he hit Wormser pinch a shot bat during an statement complete crack-cocaine, according to an apprehension warrant obtained by FOX 61. Authorities recovered a bat pinch humor and hairsbreadth connected it, arsenic good arsenic a manus saw and a woman's clothing covered successful a blood-like constituent wrong nan residence Coffel shared pinch Wormser, according to nan warrant.

Coffel is being held connected $1 cardinal bond. He had a proceeding from a infirmary connected Monday, wherever he is being treated for cancer, FOX 61 reported.

"Both nan unfortunate and nan fishy knew each other. This was a targeted event,"

The apprehension warrant states that a passerby noticed a luggage container placed by trash cans adjacent nan cemetery for respective weeks. Inside nan luggage, authorities discovered a quality torso.

Coffel's apprehension is nan first successful a bid of discoveries of quality remains crossed Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts betwixt March and April that person prompted rumors of a serial slayer online.

"During nan people of nan constabulary department's investigation, location person been galore rumors and unsubstantiated fear-mongering taking spot connected societal media, making this metropolis and surrounding communities look for illustration unsafe places to live. I'm present to guarantee you that nan City of Groton is among nan safest communities successful nan Northeast," Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick said during a Monday property conference. "Approximately six weeks aft nan find of quality remains astatine Colonel Ledyard Cemetery, I americium pleased to denote that an apprehension has been made, and a personification of liking is successful custody."

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The Connecticut State Police told Fox News Digital earlier this period that "there is nary accusation astatine this clip suggesting immoderate relationship to akin remains discoveries, and location is besides nary known threat to nan nationalist astatine this time," regarding nan deaths successful Connecticut. 

Other remains person been located successful New Haven, Norwalk, Groton, Killingly and now Rocky Hill, Connecticut; Foster, Rhode Island; and Framingham, Plymouth, Springfield, and now Taunton, Massachusetts.

Remains recovered successful Groton, Conn., person been identified arsenic Suzanne Wormser. (iStock)

The New Haven Police Department precocious identified a unfortunate whose assemblage was discovered connected March 25 connected Rock Creek Road arsenic Denise Leary, 59. She had been missing since September of past year.

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"At nan time, we had nary denotation that location was immoderate criminal facet to her case," New Haven PD Public Information Officer Christian Bruckhart told Fox News Digital successful a Tuesday interview. "This was not needfully different behaviour for her to leave. She had immoderate intelligence wellness diagnoses that she was suffering with, and … we've tried to beryllium cognizant of her family's feelings successful this clip because location was a clip erstwhile she was missing, they wanted her to travel back, past location were remains recovered a short region from their house. So I'm judge they were hoping it wasn't her, and now they person to benignant of spell done each this again pinch benignant of group online speculating astir her."

Bruckhart wants to punctual nan nationalist that victims are not "just nan look connected nan screen"

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"Her family is still suffering and grieving her loss," Bruckhart said.

A aesculapian examiner recovered Leary's origin and mode of decease to beryllium undetermined, but Bruckhard said location is nary "indication that there's immoderate criminal involvement."

New Haven constabulary do not fishy immoderate criminal activity successful Denise Leary's decease astatine this time. (iStock)

"That doesn't mean that we tin definitively opportunity location was not, but … successful nan totality of what we saw successful our investigation, location was thing to bespeak that she was murdered," nan serviceman said.

"It's easy to speculate, but that's not thing that we, nan police, person needfully nan luxury of doing."

Regarding nan Wormser lawsuit successful Groton, Bruckhart said constabulary are "not seeing immoderate links, surely betwixt Denise and anyone else," and they besides do not spot a relationship betwixt Coffel "and nan metropolis of New Haven successful general."

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"In a lawsuit of an alleged serial killer, if location was immoderate relationship that we had aliases that we saw, aliases it was a peculiar area, aliases location was a motive aliases whatever, we would want to put that retired because we want to protect nan public," Bruckhart said. "That's what we do. Now, that's not to opportunity that we would put retired everything that we know, because again, if we're trying to drawback this person. Holding immoderate of those facts and not publicizing them mightiness thief nan investigation, mightiness thief that personification get caught. In nan lawsuit of Denise, we don't spot immoderate of that."

 A Facebook group making unsubstatiated connections betwixt nan cases, which was formerly called "New England Serial Killer," has changed its sanction owed to nan societal media company's policies and now has much than 68,000 followers.