 Item number SCP-2354 Object Class Keter Special Containment Procedures Lack of knowledge regarding SCP-2354 has made direct containment infeasible. Containment efforts should instead focus on monitoring likely targets of SCP-2354 and attempting to pre-empt the entity. This policy is to continue until more effective containment procedures can be developed. Description SCP-2354 is an anomalous ambush predator targeting individuals who have recently experienced a death or disappearance of a loved one. SCP-2354 is believed to stalk a given subject for an extended period of time, variably ranging from three weeks to six months before luring its target to an isolated location and bludgeoning them to death. SCP-2354 will then lacerate the subject post-mortem, typically by removing a single body part. Most often the hands or genitals. The significance of this process is unknown. Beyond these factors, little is known about SCP-2354's appearance, movements, or current whereabouts. Although initially attributed to a series of non-anomalous serial killings, the inexplicably broad range of SCP-2354 manifestations has made the likelihood of anomalous influence a near certainty. Incident Log The following is an abridged record of deaths connected to SCP-2354 and descriptions of their circumstances. Date Description Notes September 15, 2002 Howard Keitel, 27, found deceased in a forest one kilometer from his home in Berlin, Germany. Feet removed at the base of the ankles, bludgeoned to death in accordance with typical manifestation. Keitel's 12-year-old son, Howard Jr., had recently died after falling from the roof of the family's country retreat in Bamberg. Keitel expressed despair over the death and had recently been hospitalized following a suicide attempt. August 16, 1994 Catherine Smith, 33, found deceased in an alleyway in Trenton, New Jersey, nearly 500 kilometers from her home in Richmond, Virginia, believed to have traveled in an attempt to evade SCP-2354. Hands removed, bludgeoned to death in accordance with typical manifestation. Smith's 12-month-old daughter, Hosanna, had recently died of sudden infant death syndrome. Smith had expressed concern about childbirth but was described as a loving mother. Reported feelings of being watched prior to death dismissed as symptoms of an anxiety disorder. December 27, 1992 Jose Gonzalez, 20, found deceased in his apartment at Brooklyn, New York. Hands removed, bludgeoned to death in accordance with typical manifestation. Gonzalez's 8-year-old niece had recently disappeared in a suspected kidnapping. Gonzalez had begun to exhibit strange behaviors shortly after this event, primarily centering around feelings of being watched, which intensified shortly before his death. January 2, 1992 George Berkowitz, 43, found deceased in an alleyway three blocks from his home in Los Angeles, California. Hands removed at the base of the wrist, bludgeoned to death in accordance with typical manifestation. Berkowitz's fiance, Laura Hoover, had disappeared one month prior and what was later ruled a homicide. Her body was discovered shortly before Berkowitz's death. No suspect was ever identified.