In late March 2021, the FBI and the National Park Service (NPS) opened an investigation at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas after a body was found in the woods. As authorities investigated, an unfounded rumor holding that a serial killer was on the loose started to circulate on social media.
One common claim associated with this rumor was that the dismembered bodies of five women had been found in the park:
This is not true. There was not an active investigation into a serial killer in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in April 2021, nor were five dismembered bodies found in the area.
The rumor stems from a genuine police investigation in the Hot Springs area that involved the FBI. The involvement of this federal agency may have led to some unfounded speculation about the crimes involved, but as the local news outlet The Sentinel-Record explained, the FBI was involved because this investigation involved federal land:
A criminal investigation by the FBI and National Park Service on federal property involved closing a portion of Blacksnake Road for several hours Sunday, a Park Service spokesman told The Sentinel-Record.
"We do have a criminal investigation going on" involving the FBI and the investigative services of the NPS involving "a wooded area" off Blacksnake Road, Alexandra Picavet, NPS public information officer, said shortly before 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
An FBI evidence response team was involved because the investigation involved an incident on federal land, she said, which is standard protocol.
On April 13, the NPS released a statement providing additional details about this case. The NPS identified the deceased as Paige Autumn White, 32, and asked the public to contact the agency with any information that could help with the investigation:
Special Agents of the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch are seeking tips from the public to determine the circumstances related to the homicide of Paige Autumn White, a 32-year-old Caucasian female with a missing right eye and an anchor tattoo on her right foot. White’s remains were found off of Blacksnake Road in Hot Springs National Park on March 27, 2021.
