ROCKFORD — Eight bodies have been found in Winnebago County and nearby communities in a span of roughly eight weeks, but authorities say the deaths have no connection.
The discovered remains, already more than the Winnebago County coroner's office would handle in a typical year, have investigators hustling to identify the bodies and determine causes of death.
So far, authorities have determined one person died of an overdose, another by suicide and a third death led to homicide charges. The cause of death has yet to be released or determined in five other cases, but foul play is not suspected.
The unusually high body count fueled speculation on social media of an active serial killer, and posts on Reddit drew hundreds of comments and one on Tik Tok garnered nearly 400,000 likes and 8,500 comments.