Following their discovery of human remains last month, police have positively identified them as belonging to a man who had been reported missing in April.
Westerly, R.I., police have confirmed the identity of the victim whose remains were found not far from Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island mansion.
In a press release published last Friday, the South Kingstown Police Department stated that it was notified by the Rhode Island Office of the State Medical Examiners that the human leg bone discovered near Everett Avenue in the affluent Watch Hill neighborhood belonged to 31-year-old Eric Wein.
Wein had been reported missing on April 18 of this year. His vehicle had been found just a week earlier, on April 10, on Ocean Avenue in South Kingstown, according to the police report.
“After working closely with the Mansfield Police Department and the Rhode Island Office of the State Medical Examiners, the South Kingstown Police Department has formally concluded its investigation. No foul play is suspected,” the statement said.
Wein’s remains were found on May 14. A local resident, Taylor Day, spoke with NBC 10 WJAR, expressing her unease about the discovery. “It kind of alarmed me, and it was just something very out of the ordinary for Westerly,” she told the publication.
“It was probably a couple football fields away from Taylor Swift’s house and the Ocean House. I would never expect anything like that — especially not in Watch Hill,” she added. The Ocean House Hotel is the area’s most famous historic landmark.
At the time of discovery, police did not suspect foul play, a conclusion they have since confirmed. However, the case adds to a rising number of human remains discoveries that have plagued the New England region—fueling more ongoing speculation about a serial killer.
At least thirteen bodies have been recovered since March of this year, including Wein’s. Police deny any connection between the cases, but the rumors still persist on social media, as residents continue to share theories that have impacted investigations.
