Dr. Simon Avis is Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical examiner. (CBC)

The province's chief medical examiner said Friday that he believes there have been at least two serial killers in Newfoundland – and one of them is due to be released from prison.

"I think we may have had two serial killers in this province and one of them is in prison and I think he is going to get out at some point in time and I think he is a particularly dangerous individual," said Simon Avis, who didn't identify the man.

Avis, speaking at a meeting of laboratory technologists in St. John's Friday, defined a serial killer as someone who has killed three or more people.

"A serial killer is three or more victims, multiple events," Avis said.

"A murder occurs. It's almost always a sexual homicide. There's a cool down period. The sexual drive is satisfied for a period of time, then the sexual drive becomes uncontrollable again. They go and kill someone else. Again there is a cool down period. Once you have killed three, you're a serial killer."

Avis also said that Newfoundland and Labrador continues to have one of the lowest homicide rates in North America.

Avis said that from 1997 to 2009 there have been 70 homicides in the province. There were 45 homicides in the province from 1985 to 1993, he added.

Avis said the province's homicide rate is increasing. There have been six homicides in the province so far in 2010.

"But it's still not anywhere near what we see in North America," he said.