In Burillville, it was pretty clearly an accident. The one in Coventry was announced as and being investigated as a homicide. There hasn't been much in the way of followup since that announcement but that's fairly normal for a murder investigation that doesn't have developments.

I mostly blame "true crime culture" but it's kinda nuts how people love to presume the serial killers. Grifters will outright profit off of pushing this bullshit that requires either:

A) the cops to be so stupid they're missing repeated signs of foul play that some jackass with a podcast is finding. It's certainly not impossible but one side of the equation has training, experience, access to the evidence and zero motivation to pretend there isn't a crime.

Or....

B) They notice it and, for reasons more insane than any serial killer in history, decided to pretend it isn't a thing with the public. Police aren't really in the business of downplaying or minimizing crime. More crime makes it easier to say that not only is their current budget. staffing, and equipment necessary but they probably need more. Beyond that, it's just intentionally risking the public safety to not warn people. Even if that did somehow make it easier to catch someone (it doesn't), the risk that more people get hurt isn't worth it.

But instead we'll have people who push that Smiley Face Killer bullshit selling ads on their website, doing podcast reads and even getting paid for TV specials to push this bullshit because, at the end of the day, all this is about for the source is entertainment and profiteering. Nobody gives a shit about the real person who died.