Springfield (Massachusetts/USA) - What's going on? After eight bodies were found in the north-east of the USA within a few weeks, there is growing concern about a possible serial killer .

The fear is spreading. But the authorities are playing it down. Between March and April, the bodies of seven people were found in New England, a region in the north-east of the USA. Most of them women.

Now an eighth body has been discovered, reports the New York Post. The lifeless body of a woman was found on a cycle path along the Connecticut River in Springfield (population 150,000) on Tuesday. The cause of death has not yet been determined; investigators have ordered an autopsy.

All the locations where the body was found are within a radius of just under 200 kilometers. Many people in the region now fear that the deaths are the work of a serial killer. In a Facebook group with more than 20,000 members, they are exchanging information and want to gather clues.

The investigators deny this and so far see no connection between the deaths.

Previously, People magazine reported on a whole series of mysterious deaths in New England.

On March 6, witnesses found Paige Fannon's personal belongings on the Norwalk River in Connecticut. Police divers found the body of the 35-year-old shortly afterwards. The next discovery came on the same day: a decomposed body was found by hunters in a forest near Plymouth.

On March 19, a dismembered female body was found in a suitcase almost 120 kilometers away. The body has not yet been identified.

The next day, they found Denise Leary in a wooded area near New Haven. The sporty 59-year-old had been missing since September.

Just six days later, they found Michele Romano (†56) in a wooded area in Rhode Island. The police classified her death as "suspicious".

On April 9, a badly decomposed body was found near the village of Killingly. This person has not yet been identified either. One day later, two bodies were found in Salem; the deceased are believed to be men.

Many people in the region are likely to remember the deeds of the Connecticut River Valley Killer with horror. A serial killer who terrorized the area from 1986 to 1987. At least seven dead women can be attributed to him.

Jane Boroski, the only survivor of the Connecticut River Valley Killer, is very concerned about the latest cases: "I believe that all these cases are connected. Maybe not, but it's unusual for so many remains and so many bodies to turn up in such a short period of time," the survivor told Fox.

She urges people to remain "vigilant".