For over a decade, the city of Manchester has been on edge after rumors began swirling that a serial killer was pushing people into the city’s canals.
Over 60 drowning deaths have been reported since 2004.
Now, Thomas Sheridan, an expert in psychopatholgy, is weighing on on the matter.
Sheridan recently left his home in Northern Ireland to visit the area and conduct his own independent investigation surrounding the individual residents have nicknamed “The Pusher.”
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“Walking along the Rochdale Canal, I was followed by a tall man wearing a hood into a poorly-lit area,” Sheridan tells Metro. “The sense of isolation and vulnerability at the location were quite frankly terrifying.”
The majority of the deaths have occurred in close proximity to the city’s strip of gay bars. Whether or not they are the result of a crazed serial killer or simply intoxicated bar-goers falling into the canal remains unclear, but Sheridan says he’s “convinced” that “foul play” accounts for at least some of the bodies.
“I concur with the people of Manchester that ‘The Pusher’ is almost certainly the cause of some of these deaths,” he said.
He continued: “I believe the killer is targeting gay men or men the killer is assuming to be gay, following them from a night out or more worryingly, picking them up in bars.”
“We may be dealing with a psychopath or extremely disturbed individual. The police need to take this very seriously.”
Greater Manchester Police beg to differ. While they say they are committed to investigating “each and every unexplained death,” they have always maintained that there is no serial killer on the loose. Instead, they attribute the deaths to suicides and accidents.
