Police deny Bristol serial killer rumours after three unexplained deaths

The recovery of three drowned bodies in as many months has led to speculation on social media that there may be a serial killer at work in the local Bristol area.

The most recent body to be discovered was pulled from the River Avon on Friday, with the victim believed to be Abdulkadir Mahamoud, 29. The two other bodies, of 26 year old Lewis Ball and 24 year old Deakon Wilkins, were both discovered in the Floating Harbour in February.

Avon and Somerset Police have dismissed rumours of murder as unfounded and are not treating the deaths of Wilkins and Ball as suspicious.  However, this has not stopped people from theorising online about the potential for foul play.

Speculation has been quoted by The Daily Telegraph in their report on these unexplained deaths,  reflecting the uncertainty in the local community about the reason for these incidents.

Kaye Hulme said on Facebook: “I don’t care what anyone says but there is something sinister about these deaths!”

Joe Henderson echoed her concerns, commenting that the: “Police and media are avoiding the obvious- becoming very clear that Bristol has a serial killer on the loose”.

Bianca Symone Liliana Anoushka enquired as to the motive behind these deaths: “Noticed as they are all men and not women. Perhaps there’s a pusher? Perhaps robbing drunk men after nights out and pushing them in the river? Who knows?”

A photograph of Abdulkadir Mahamoud Credit: SWNS.COM

Martin Hodson Chinery commented on The Telegraph’s article, noting the parallels between these deaths and similar ones in Manchester: “Maybe the Manchester serial killer has moved to Bristol”. This is believed to be a reference to ‘The Pusher’: an unconfirmed serial killer thought to be behind a number of recent deaths of young men in Manchester’s canals.

However, despite the similarities, Avon and Somerset Police have said that: “There is nothing to suggest that any of these deaths are linked or suspicious” and that “they appear to be tragic incidents”.

They go on to say that: “We are always willing to receive new information and intelligence which is not based on speculation” and that “we are continuing to work with the coroner on the incidents which are being treated as non-suspicious sudden deaths”.