Fear grips UC Davis campus as 3 separate stabbings leave some wondering if a serial killer is on the loose

Fear is resonating across the University of California, Davis, campus following a series of brutal stabbings that have killed two people and left another wounded. With no suspects in custody and the possibility of a serial killer at large, the community is on edge. 

Over the last week, three stabbings have occurred within roughly a mile of campus, shocking a small city that had not witnessed a homicide since 2019. 

“The last few days have been shocking and incredibly challenging for our community,” Davis Mayor Will Arnold said.  

Kristin Mifsud, a senior at UC Davis, expressed her dismay, stating, “I did not expect my senior year for any of this to be happening, especially in Davis.” 

The stabbings began last Thursday when the body of 50-year-old David Breaux was discovered in a local park with multiple stab wounds. Two days later, tragedy struck again as Karim Abou-Najm, a UC Davis student, was fatally stabbed in another park a mile north of campus. 

Majdi Abou-Najm, Karim’s grieving father, called his son a “free spirit” and asked the community to aid in bringing the perpetrator to justice. 

“I just call on every person in a capacity to help to capture whoever did this … to please do so,” Abou-Najm said. 

A third attack unfolded Monday. Police found a woman who had suffered multiple stab wounds at a homeless encampment near campus. The woman was in critical condition Wednesday.

“Everybody is asking if these three crimes are connected and it certainly seems more probable than not that they are,” Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said.  

Police released a description of a suspect in the latest stabbing: a male with a light complexion, curly hair and a thin build, standing between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 9 inches tall.