Portland police deny "online rumors" linking six deaths to serial killer

There is no evidence that the deaths of six women in and around Portland are connected to a serial killer, the Portland Police Bureau said on Sunday. 

Suggestions on social media and in news articles that the cases were connected "have led to some anxiety and fear in our community, and we want to provide reassurance that the speculation is not supported by the facts," the PPB said, calling the speculations "online rumors." 

The Portland Police Bureau "has no reason to believe these six cases are connected," officials added.