Fresno authorities address serial killer hoax

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A posting on Facebook warning about a serial killer in Fresno and Tulare is a hoax.

The message talks about five missing women in the last 72 hours. This is not true.

Since the post has spread so quickly the Fresno County Sheriffs Office and Fresno Police are hoping to calm any fears.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says these types of false messages can make their job more difficult.

"We want that message to be clear that spreading this on social media does create a problem for law enforcement," he said.

It diverts our resources, causes us to have to do things we normally wouldn't do."

"And for the people of Fresno, it is absolutely a hoax. There's no truth to it. They should not have any fear about what has been said."

Police are now working to figure out who the original author of the post is.