CRIME HUNTER: Is there a serial killer terrorizing New England?

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Behind the facades of Cape Cod homes and charming fishing villages, evil has long lurked in the shadows of the New England states.

Murder just seems creepier in the Northeastern United States.

From the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600s to the Boston Strangler, Lizzie Borden, and Jesse Pomeroy, the world’s youngest serial killer, the oldest settlements in the U.S. take a back seat to no one when it comes to the macabre.

Now, like a spectre from the gothic past, a suspected serial killer may be preying on the women of New England. So far, there have been at least 13 mysterious deaths.

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Adriana Suazo is the latest suspected victim, sparking more fears.

The 21-year-old’s body was discovered by a passerby in a wooded area of Milton, Massachusetts, on the outskirts of Boston, on June 1. But cops said there were no obvious signs of trauma, and the death remains under investigation.

Suazo’s mysterious death would likely have been a line-item on Page 56 of The Boston Herald — if there weren’t 12 other bodies since March. Remains have been found in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine. Most were recovered in rural, wooded areas within a 115 km radius.

And the circumstances of the deaths have also varied. That includes at least one dismemberment.

“I just want to know the truth about what happened to her. I’m not accusing anyone, but her circumstances are suspicious. She was with someone either when she died or before. My family just wants closure on the events leading up to her death,” Suazo’s sister Melanie Pizarro told Fox News.

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Investigators, prosecutors and at least one serial killer expert have pooh-poohed the idea that a homicidal maniac is on the loose. So far, the investigations have remained at a local level, with each case examined on an individual basis.

Cops have torpedoed the notion that a single perpetrator is stalking New England. For starters, detectives have pointed to the paucity of forensic evidence.

“There is no information at this time suggesting any connection to similar remains discoveries, and there is also no known threat to the public at this time,” Connecticut State Police told Fox News, adding that speculation has been fueled by “internet rumours.”

Then again, there are the bodies.

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The first body was found on March 6.

Paige Fannon, 35, was discovered floating in Connecticut’s Norwalk River. On the same day, a human skull was recovered in a forest near Plymouth, Massachusetts.

On March 19, cops were confronted by the gruesome discovery of the dismembered remains of Suzanne Wormser, 58, stuffed in a suitcase in Groton, Connecticut. A roommate was arrested but died later in custody.

Six days later, on March 25, Denise Leary, 59, was discovered dead in New Haven. The next day, the remains of Michele Romano, 56, were found in the woods around Foster, Rhode Island.

In Killingly, Connecticut, on April 9, police found unidentified remains. The pace of death continued.

In two separate locations on April 20, unidentified bodies were pulled from bodies of water. One corpse was recovered from the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with the second body found in the Connecticut River near Rocky Hill.

On April 22, the body of 45-year-old Meggan Meredith was found near a bike path in Springfield, Massachusetts. On April 27, another body was discovered in Taunton, Massachusetts.

And 34-year-old Jasmine Wilkes was discovered dead in New Haven’s Edgewood Park on May 30.

But do these bizarre, seemingly more than coincidental deaths point to the sinister hands of a serial killer at work?

“Most serial killers have some commonality in their victims,” said Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox. “Usually it’s the sex, race, age or physical features of the victims. That’s not always true, of course, but they tend to have a particular preference for the victim type.

“But in these cases, there are so many dissimilarities.”

And some of the mystery deaths may not even be murders, Fox told the Daily Northeastern.

But those rational words have not calmed people’s fears.

MOST WANTED

411: On Monday, July 20, 2011, around 2 a.m., officers responded to the Tasty Bite restaurant located at 7079 Torbram Rd. in Mississauga for a report of a disturbance. Nittish Khana, 20, had visible signs of trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cops learned that the victim and two pals were involved in a verbal confrontation and were assaulted with golf clubs by four accused as they left. The suspected killers were identified and charged with second-degree murder. Two were arrested shortly thereafter.

Detectives are still hunting Manjeet Singh, 34, and Manmeet Kang. They are believed to have fled to India. If you know their whereabouts, contact Peel Regional Police or the RCMP.

SERIAL KILLERS FOR SUMMER?

John Wayne Gacy remains one of the most terrifying serial killers in history. For nearly a decade he terrorized suburban Chicago, kidnapping, torturing and raping young men and boys before murdering them.

The Killer Clown got the big adios in 1994, but some of his victims remain unidentified. And cops always believed there were more than the 33 known victims.

In my book, Inside the Mind of John Wayne Gacy: The Real-Life Killer Clown, I update the story.

Love, money and sex are the three big-ticket items for homicide. And they’re all there in my first book Cold Blooded Murder: Shocking True Stories of Killers and Psychopaths. (available through amazon.ca)

FYI: Both books were rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun