Some social media users are claiming one person is behind a purported spate of homicides in Texas' second-most populous city.
"There’s a serial killer in San Antonio. Killed 9 women. Please be careful out there," reads a Dec. 9 Facebook post, which was shared more than 5,000 times in one week (direct link, archived link).
Other versions of the claim were shared widely on the social media platform.
But the San Antonio Police Department said the posts are false. There is no evidence that a serial killer is targeting women in the city.
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USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the claim for comment.
There is no record of the killings described in the post nor is there evidence a serial killer is currently in the San Antonio area.
Officer Ricardo Guzman, a spokesperson for the San Antonio Police Department, told USA TODAY he was not aware of any such cases.
The department also said the claim had “no factual basis” in a Dec. 12 statement posted on Facebook.
"(We) want to reassure the public to not be alarmed on this unsubstantiated social media post," the post said.
When reached for comment, the sheriff's office in Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, referred USA TODAY to the police department's statement.
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