The claim: Mugshot shows a serial killer ‘currently hunting’

Multiple social media users are warning of a serial killer that is allegedly active in several different communities across the country.

"There's a serial killer or abductor who is currently hunting in Pekin, my friend was almost taken by him," reads an Aug. 11 Facebook post that has been shared more than 1,400 times.

The claim has been repeated by multiple users, with each naming a different community but telling an identical story alongside a mugshot of the supposed serial killer.

"He drives a truck with LED lights and hits cars of women alone and once they pull over he takes them," the posts read. "Multiple disappearances. If you are in the area and you are hit by a truck with LED lights keep driving and call the cops. Stay safe."

But the claims are false. The man shown in the mugshot included in each of the posts is in jail in Tennessee, where he was briefly sought by law enforcement last month after he walked away from an inmate work detail. Police say they are not seeking any serial killer in the communities identified.

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USA TODAY reached out to several users who shared the claim for comment.

Mugshot shows man who fled inmate work detail, sheriff's office says

In early July, the Dickson County Sheriff's Office in Tennessee shared a mugshot of a man who was being sought by authorities after he walked away from an...

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