HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — Huntsville Police put out a warning about a social media hoax involving a ‘serial killer on the run.’
The Huntsville Police Department posted that people in the Huntsville area should disregard a social media warning of a “serial killer on the run.” The department said it is a hoax and is not at all true.
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HPD said the post claims a man is knocking on doors, pretending to be homeless and attacking people after gaining their trust. The department said the post also describes an attack on a “37-year-old single mother” and theft of a vehicle from an elderly woman.
The department laid out the facts for social media users:
- The person referred to as “David Lawson” is actually Joel Diekhoff who was incarcerated in 2011 in Idaho
- Similar hoaxes have been circulated in other states including Pennsylvania, Maine, South Carolina, Michigan and Virginia
- These hoax posts appear on local Facebook grounds with comments disabled
How the public can help stop the spread of these hoaxes is if you see the original post, do not share it or engage with it. Also, the department said to report the post to help stop the spread of misinformation…