ROCKY MOUNT—After the bodies of five women have turned up murdered over the past four years in rural fields outside the city of Rocky Mount, the notion of a serial killer begins to root within the minds of worried citizens.

No doubt many are aware of news reports from Gaffey, South Carolina on the week-long crime spree of an individual labeled as a possible serial killer.

Whereas the Gaffey case took place over the course of several days and robbery was a chief motive before the suspect was shot and killed by law enforcement, the Rocky Mount cases all bear a striking resemblance to each other. Even law enforcement authorities are not refuting the possibilities and are seeking advice on opening a federal investigation.

Could Rocky Mount have within its midst a stalking, methodical serial killer?

The latest victim, Jarniece Latonya Hargrove went missing approximately two months ago. Hargrove had been reported missing, last seen on May 2 in the northern section of the city, walking on Highway 301, according to a report from the Tarboro newspaper, The Daily Southerner.   A farm worker found the skeletal remains of an African-American woman June 29 in a wooded area off Seven Bridges Road north of the city.

The Medical Examiner concluded that the remains were those of 31-year-old Hargrove using dental records, however autopsy results were still incomplete as of press time, with no cause of death yet determined.

Hargrove is the latest of five African-American women to be found dead in a four-year period. Melody Wiggins, 29, was found May 30, 2005; Jackie Nikelia Thorpe 35, found August 17, 2007; Ernestine Battle, 50 found March 14, 2008; and Taraha Shenice Nicholson, 28 found on March 7, 2009.

According to the Rocky Mount Telegram, an inmate road crew discovered the remains of yet another person in February but no positive identification has been made in that case.

Both local and state investigators have been looking into each of the cases and while no information has been forthcoming stating that the cases are related, investigators are not dismissing the possibilities.