Atlanta Serial Killer: Revelations and Rumors

Staff Writer: Angelo Colon-Moreno 

On social media, word spreads like wildfire. Rumors spread just as much. The recent accusations of a serial killer in Georgia’s own Atlanta lends to this truth. 

On July 28, in Piedmont Park, a woman was found brutally murdered beside her dog, a gruesome sight indeed. Authorities were eager to find her killer.  

Curiously, on the same date, another victim was found dead in Yellow River Park. This is when the rumors started. 

A Facebook post showed up due to FBI involvement in the case on July 31. The post claimed that there was a leak from the Norcross Police Department about an active serial killer. This led similar stories to surface on the matter. 

After a large amount of people had seen it, many were shocked.  Many also helped spread the word. This was the catalyst that led many Atlanta citizens to believe that a serial killer lived among them.  

After asking Cory Batcheller, one of my acquaintances, about his initial thoughts, he pronounced that: “It was frightening to hear about such a matter so close to my living stead.”

In reality, it was nothing more than a hoax. You could also chalk it up to the shock factor of a serial killer spreading on a whim.  

Either way, the rumor was false. Although both victims were found 20 miles from each other, there was no evidence to support their connection. Both victims died by completely different methods. 

After the false claims, the police had to step in and clear the air around the haphazard rumors. Gwinnett County police Sgt. J.R. Richter, spoke out and declared, “There is nothing to connect the two cases and no reason to believe a serial killer is operating in the area.”  

With a sigh of relief, you can reasonably assume what they said is the truth. However, the statement doesn’t excuse the rumors on social media. The fact remains that there are also two women dead for what seems to be no reason. Rumors like this can also prevent citizens from sharing potentially helpful information because they are trying to connect dots that simply are not there. 

What you can’t forget is the supposed third victim they were trying to tether to the initial case. After the two killings a third person was found dead a city over, which rumor spreaders tried to connect to the original two.  

This was obviously false and showed even less connection to the primary two. WHS senior Connor Jensen stated, “This is really wrong and immoral to spread scuttlebutt without sufficient evidence.”  

His statement is true, because the fearmongering rumors led many to believe the incorrect and highly dramatized allegations without question.  

Spread of a supposed serial killer considering two killings isn’t any way to remember the victims. In a way, it could be considered disrespectful to the families. Especially if one educated search could have disproved any of the news. Nevertheless, authorities emphasized that even though there isn’t a serial killer among us, citizens should still exercise personal safety.