FBI Back in Westport MA Searching for Evidence on Route 88

WESTPORT (WBSM) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is back in Westport today, two years after it first searched the woods off a heavily-trafficked roadway.

Active Federal Search on Route 88 in Westport

FBI spokesperson Kristen M. Setera of the agency’s Boston Division confirmed to WBSM that investigators are at Route 88 in Westport “in connection with an ongoing, multi-jurisdictional investigation.”

“We are searching for specific evidence and there is no threat to public safety,” the spokesperson said.

As it is an ongoing investigation, no further details are being released at this time.

Courtesy Cynthia Raposa

Connections to the June 2024 Search?

The FBI was also searching in the woods along Route 88 in Westport two years ago, in June 2024. At that time, Setera also said the agency was searching for “specific evidence.”

The Victims in the New Bedford Highway Murders

The New Bedford highway murders took place in 1988, with the bodies discovered into 1989. The killer is confirmed to have killed nine women and suspected of murdering at least two more. Although there were at least three different men considered as suspects by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, the murders remain unsolved and the families of the victims are still searching for closure. The cases are all featured on the unsolved cases page of the Bristol County District Attorney's Office website.

Gallery Credit: Tim Weisberg

Massachusetts Unresolved Cases Playing Cards

Playing cards are being distributed to inmates in Massachusetts correctional facilities depicting the victims of unsolved murders and disappearances in the hopes that some inmates may recognize them and help bring closure to their cases.

Gallery Credit: Tim Weisberg

Source: Federal Agents Return to Westport Woods Two Years After Initial Search