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Florida authorities are pushing back on social media rumors about a “serial killer on the loose” in Jacksonville after three women were found dead in separate incidents over three days.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) addressed the speculation directly on Tuesday, emphasizing that the cases are unrelated and urging calm as investigations continue.
“JSO is aware of rumors circulating about a serial killer on the loose in Jacksonville. We can confirm these claims are FALSE,” the agency wrote Tuesday on social media.
The department added that detectives are investigating each case individually, “following the facts and evidence,” and that “there is no danger to the public related to these incidents.”
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A Jacksonville sheriff’s officer stands watch as FBI and IRS agents conduct a search. (Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Despite that clarification, speculation continued to spread online, with many users drawing comparisons to crime thrillers or past serial killer cases.
“Isn’t this what the police say in every serial killer movie?” one Facebook user wrote.
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Theodore Bundy, seated in court in July 1979, was charged with the murders of two Florida State coeds. (Getty Images)
Others invoked infamous cases like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy, arguing that police in those eras also downplayed initial warnings.
Worries spread over the weekend after three women were found dead in different parts of Jacksonville within three days.
On Saturday, 24-year-old Cherrish Nunley, a mother of two, was found fatally shot in a parking lot, according to News4Jax. A GoFundMe page created for her family described her as a devoted mother and “a bright, beautiful girl” who was “killed in cold blood.”
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Cherrish Nunley, 24, was found shot and killed in a parking lot in Jacksonville on Nov. 15, according to a post from family members on a GoFundMe page. (GoFundMe)
The following day, a fisherman discovered the body of Tiffany Felton beneath a bridge on Blanding Boulevard, FirstCoastNews reported.
“This was an unnecessary killing,” AJ Jordan, outreach coordinator with MAD DADS, told the outlet. “Him or her left this lady under a bridge, under a bridge. It’s just, it’s just sad.”
Then on Monday, deputies were called to a rooming house in the city’s Phoenix neighborhood, where another woman was found unresponsive, according to FirstCoastNews. A sheriff’s sergeant told the outlet that details surrounding her death were not immediately clear.
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A body of a mother of two, Cherrish Nunley, was found dead behind a business near the 3800 block of Sunbeam Road in Jacksonville, Florida. (Google Maps)
Investigators say that, at this stage, the cases do not appear connected. Police have not confirmed whether any suspects have been identified or taken into custody.
While online speculation remains intense, authorities reiterated that there is no evidence linking the deaths or suggesting a broader threat.
“3 bodies in 3 days? Forgive me, but you can’t credibly say it’s not a serial killer if you haven’t solved it yet,” one skeptical user wrote.
Another commented, “Well… honestly there probably is one or two, but we just don’t know about it yet.”
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While online speculation remains intense, authorities reiterated that there is no evidence linking the deaths or suggesting a broader threat.
“Our detectives are investigating recent homicide cases that involve female victims, following the facts and evidence in each case. We will share updates as soon as we are able to, but we want to reassure the community there is no danger to the public related [to] these incidents,” the department said.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.