In the winter of 1989, the body of 21-year-old Stacy Reneau, a male resident of Portsmouth who had recently been discharged from the Navy, was discovered. He was found on January 7, 1989, off Rockwood Drive in the Deep Creek section of Chesapeake. The last time he was seen alive was at a Food Lion, where he had been applying for a job.
Investigators have publicly stated that they believe his death is connected to a series of slayings attributed to a potential serial killer operating in the South Hampton Roads area since 1987. Reneau is considered one of at least ten victims in this string of murders. A common thread among many of the victims is that they were either gay or had connections to the homosexual community. The bodies of most of the victims were found nude, and they typically did not have defensive wounds, suggesting they may have gone with their killer willingly and died without a struggle. Law enforcement officials have developed a profile of the suspected killer as an intelligent and organized individual with good social skills who is able to gain the trust of his victims. Police believe the killer may frequent areas known to be gathering places for the gay community, such as bars in downtown Norfolk or Ocean View, to find his victims. As of the time of the reports, no specific suspect has been publicly named or arrested in connection with the death of Stacy Reneau or the other linked cases.
