Society needs monsters': why are Americans so obsessed with the idea of serial killers?

"For the past two years, rumors of a serial killer have preoccupied residents of Austin, Texas, and beyond as body upon body kept turning up at a lake in the city. The killer was even given a name: the Rainey Street Ripper. But authorities now say some 36 drownings in the lake, near Rainey Street neighborhood, were probably related to alcohol and drug consumption and the reservoir's proximity to the city's famous bar scene. There is almost certainly no serial killer."

"The report by Texas State University researchers in collaboration with the Austin police department that reviewed 189 cases over a 20-year period found no evidence of a serial murderer, no pattern of clustering or hotspots of similar criminal activity. While social media speculation has suggested otherwise, the independent academic study supports the findings of APD investigations and confirms that Austin is not facing a serial killer, the Austin police department said in statement."

"The study found that men are more likely to drown than women, and that could explain why more men than women were drowning in Lady Bird Lake. Dr Kim Rossmo is professor of criminal justice at the university who developed the field of geographic profiling that helped locate serial killer Robert Pickton, known as the Pig Farmer Killer, in 2001."

A Texas State University review of 189 cases over 20 years found no evidence of a serial murderer and no pattern of clustering or hotspots. Authorities attribute about 36 drownings near the Rainey Street neighborhood to alcohol and drug consumption and the reservoir's proximity to the bar scene. The independent academic study aligns with Austin Police Department investigations and concludes Austin is not facing a serial killer. The study notes men are more likely to drown than women, which may explain the gender disparity. Geographic profiling expert Dr Kim Rossmo cautioned that social media propagates sensational theories and urged against spending resources chasing phantom killers.

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