|
?:reviewBody
|
-
In late March 2021, the FBI and the National Park Service (NPS) opened an investigation at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas after a body was found in the woods. As authorities investigated, an unfounded rumor holding that a serial killer was on the loose started to circulate on social media. One common claim associated with this rumor was that the dismembered bodies of five women had been found in the park: This is not true. There was not an active investigation into a serial killer in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in April 2021, nor were five dismembered bodies found in the area. The rumor stems from a genuine police investigation in the Hot Springs area that involved the FBI. The involvement of this federal agency may have led to some unfounded speculation about the crimes involved, but as the local news outlet The Sentinel-Record explained, the FBI was involved because this investigation involved federal land: On April 13, the NPS released a statement providing additional details about this case. The NPS identified the deceased as Paige Autumn White, 32, and asked the public to contact the agency with any information that could help with the investigation: This statement made no mention of additional bodies found, nor that a serial killer was suspected in the case. In fact, NPS appeared to specifically address this internet rumor when it stated there was no indication that this was other than an isolated incident. When the Hot Springs Police Department shared this statement to its Facebook page, the department also highlighted this section and asked people to please pay special attention to the 2nd paragraph. The second paragraph is where NPS stated there was no indication that this was other than an isolated incident. The FBI released a statement on April 13 seeking tips from the public. Here is that statement in full:
(en)
|
![[This page as RDF]](http://data.gesis.org/claimskg/static/rdf-icon.gif){kind=icon}