10 Serial Killers Who Could Still Be At Large
10.
The Zodiac Killer Country: United States
Number of victims: 5 – 37 Period of killings: December 20, 1968 – October
11, 1969 One of the most famous serial killers of all
time, the Zodiac Killer terrorised San Francisco residents for the better part of a year.
The Zodiac Killer case was as fascinating as it was horrifying, due to the killer’s
habit of toying with police and reported.
The Zodiac Killer was confirmed to have murdered at least 5 people during his killing spree,
though he has claimed the number was actually 37.
He was famous for the intricate ciphers he would send to newspapers and police, which
would often contain very creepy messages and occasionally threats once solved.
One of the most famous messages was translated to read the following:
LIKE KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN IT IS MORE FUN THAN KILLING WILD GAME
IN THE FORREST BECAUSE MAN IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL OF ALL TO KILL SOMETHING GIVES ME THE
MOST THRILLING EXPERENCE IT IS EVEN BETTER THAN GETTING YOUR ROCKS OFF WITH A GIRL THE
BEST PART OF IT IS THAT WHEN I DIE I WILL BE REBORN IN PARADICE AND ALL THEY HAVE KILLED
WILL BECOME MY SLAVES I WILL NOT GIVE YOU MY NAME BECAUSE YOU WILL TRY TO SLOW DOWN
OR ATOP MY COLLECTION OF SLAVES FOR MY AFTERLIFE.
EBEORIETEMETHHPITI The Zodiac Killer would also hide hints and
clues of what he’d do next in his letters, although they’d often prove to be false.
For example, in the following letter he claimed that his next target would be a school bus
filled with children, though this never came to fruition:
This is the Zodiac speaking.
I am the murderer of the taxi driver over by Washington St + Maple St last night, to
prove this here is a blood stained piece of his shirt.
I am the same man who did in the people in the north bay area.
The S.F.
Police could have caught me last night if they had searched the park properly instead
of holding road races with their motorcycles seeing who could make the most noise.
The car drivers should have just parked their cars and sat there quietly waiting for me
to come out of cover.
School children make nice targets, I think I shall wipe out a school bus some morning.
Just shoot out the front tire + then pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out.
The symbol of the Zodiac Killer has become almost as famous as the murderer himself,
with its simple design of a circle over a cross.
Many have attempted or even claimed to have solved the mystery of who the Zodiac Killer
is, but none have been proven to be true.
The Zodiac’s puzzles, cryptograms and riddles have continued to be put under scrutiny to
this very day, and the police case file has been open since 1969, but no conclusive evidence
has ever been brought forwards.
The subject of a number of popular films and books, the case of the unidentified Zodiac
Killer continues to mesmerise and disgust people even now.
9.
The Stoneman Country: India
Number of victims: 13+ Period of killings: 1985 – 1989
One of the most chilling cases on this list, the Stoneman has grown to be one of the most
infamous serial killers in India’s history.
The Stoneman has been blamed for two sets of incidents, in which the victim’s head
would be crushed by a single, large stone while they slept.
The murders began in 1985 in Bombay, where homeless people sleeping on the streets were
targeted.
After six murders, police began to suspect it was the work of a serial killer, due to
the same pattern of the victims’ heads being crushed while asleep.
However, due to the common situations of the victims, it was very difficult for the authorities
to gather any leads or witnesses.
In 1987, a homeless waiter was able to survive an attack by the Stoneman, and came to the
police.
Unfortunately, the waiter was unable to reliably recall what his assailant looked like.
Not long after, in 1988, the killings abruptly ended.
One year later though, a familiar terror began to emerge in the city of Calcutta.
Once again, homeless people were being targeted, with a total of twelve murders in six months,
killed by having their heads crushed.
No conclusive link was made between the Calcutta and Bombay murders, but the similarity between
victims and killing methods imply that the killer was either familiar with the original
murders, or the Stoneman himself.
The Calcutta murders ended only six months after they began, indicating the end of the
Stoneman’s spree.
Disturbingly though, incidents have recently cropped up in Guwahati that strongly resemble
the original Stoneman murders, almost 25 years after the original incident.
8.
The Doodler Country: United States
Number of victims: 14 plus 3 survivors Period of killings: January, 1974 – September,
1975 The Doodler, or Black Doodler as he was sometimes
referred to, was responsible for 14 killings in under two years.
The killer targeted members of San Francisco’s gay community, often meeting with his victims
at gay nightclubs and bars.
The Doodler was named as such because of his habit of sketching each of his victims before
killing them.
He would draw out a picture of his targets, then give it to them as a means to initiate
a conversation.
This would often lead to them leaving with the Doodler, before engaging in sex and being
stabbed to death.
There were three survivors of the Doodler’s assaults, which resulted in the apprehension
of a murder suspect.
Frustratingly, due to social stigma at the time, all three survivors refused to testify,
as they didn’t want to come out as gay.
This resulted in the suspect walking freely, his identity never revealed.
7.
The Original Night Stalker Country: United States
Number of victims: 10-13 Period of killings: December 30, 1979 – May
4, 1986 The Original Night Stalker, also known as
the East Area Rapist, is a serial killer who committed at least 10 murders and 50 rapes
between the years of 1979 and 1986.
The Original Night Stalker is believed by authorities to have started out as a simple
burglar, who later began a spree of murder and rape.
The Original Night Stalker committed his first attacks in 1976, with 7 rapes within 6 months.
Rumours began to spread, to the extent that the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department asked
the local news media to not report on the rapes.
Eventually, the Original Night Stalker began murdering victims.
In 1979, he broke in to the home of a Goleta couple, tying them up while chanting “I’m
going to kill them”.
Fortunately, the couple were able to escape a grisly fate, after the woman screamed and
alerted their FBI agent neighbour.
The agent pursued the intruder, but was unable to catch him.
Three months later, another couple’s home was broken into by the Original Night Stalker,
this time resulting in both being shot dead in their bed.
Over the next few years, several others were found murdered in their homes, culminating
in the killing of Janelle Lisa Cruz, who was bludgeoned to death in 1986.
Many of the murders and rapes were only linked by DNA evidence much later, which contributed
to the Original Night Stalker’s uncanny ability to avoid capture.
If you really want to scare yourself, you can have a listen to what the Original Night
Stalker sounded like, in this recording of a phone call he made to one of his victims.
6.
The Monster Of Florence Country: Italy
Number of victims: 16 Period of killings: August 21, 1968 – September
8, 1985 The Monster of Florence, known in Italy as
Il Mostro, is the suspected serial killer behind 16 murders that took place in Florence
over the course of nearly twenty years.
The killings were primarily of young couples, and the incidents were linked by the similarity
of the murders and same gun used.
The subject of several books and films, the Monster of Florence murders are marked by
a series of arrests and convictions that were strongly criticised by the media.
On more than one occasion, a suspect was charged with being the killer, until being exonerated
following another killing.
The murders themselves all followed a similar pattern.
Couples were stalked at night, before being shot and stabbed to death.
The first murder was of Antonio Lo Bianco, aged 29, and Barbara Locci, aged 32, who were
both shot by a .22 Beretta.
The husband of Locci was initially charged with the murder, spending six years in jail,
but was released after further couples were murdered using the same gun.
The final murder occurred in 1985, after Jean Michel Kraveichvili and Nadine Mauriot were
killed on a camping trip in Italy.
Shot and stabbed while in their tent, Jean Michel was killed while trying to escape,
while Mauriot’s corpse was heavily mutilated.
The murderer sent a gloating note to the state prosecutor, which was received shortly after
the discovery of the corpses.
Despite all of the arrests associated with the case, the general consensus is that the
real Monster of Florence has never been found.
Many witnesses have stated that the murdered couples said they had been harassed by an
“unpleasant”, “weird” man shortly before the killings took place, but no conclusive
evidence has ever been found for the serial killer’s identity.
5.
The West Mesa Bone Collector Country: United States
Number of victims: 11+ Period of killings: 2003-2009 (estimated)
In 2009, the remains of 11 women were discovered in the desert of West Mesa in Albuquerque,
New Mexico.
Referred to as the Wes Mesa murders, authorities believe that the killings were the work of
a single serial killer.
The discovery was made after a woman walking her dog discovered a human bone while in the
West Mesa of Albuquerque and reported it to the police.
The following investigation resulted in the discovery of 11 women’s bodies and a fetus
buried in the local area.
Detectives believe that the murders were connected to the infamous West Mesa Bone Collector,
a serial killer suspected of being involved in several different cases.
No potential DNA of the killer has ever been found, nor have any witnesses come forwards.
As such, despite a few violent individuals being connected to the West Mesa area, there
has never been an official suspect with regards to the Bone Collector’s identity.
4.
The Freeway Phantom Country: United States
Number of victims: 6 Period of killings: April 25, 1971 – September
5, 1972 The Freeway Phantom was a serial killer active
during the 70’s, who abducted, raped and murdered six females over the course of two
years.
Each victim was African-American, aged between 10 and 18.
The killer strangled all of their victims, beginning with 13-year old Carol Spinks, who
was abducted on the way home from buying groceries.
Her body was discovered six days after, next to the busy Interstate 295.
The corpse of 16-year old Darlenia Johnson was discovered under three months later, only
15 feet from where Spinks was found, confirming police fears that they were dealing with a
serial killer.
It was with their fifth victim that the Freeway Phantom communicated to the police.
The body of Brenda Woodward, aged 18, was discovered strangled and stabbed with a note
in the pocket of a coat covering her.
The note read: This is tantamount to my insensititivity to
people especially women.
I will admit the others when you catch me if you can!
Free-way Phantom Police deduced that the note was actually
written by Woodward herself, on the instruction of her killer.
This mirrors one of the Freeway Phantom’s earlier victims, who phoned her parents with
incorrect details of her location, presumably to buy the killer more time.
There have been a number of suspects involved in the Freeway Phantom case, many with a history
of violence against women.
However, no tangible evidence was found in relation to the murders, leaving the Freeway
Phantom’s identity an ongoing mystery.
3.
The Long Island Serial Killer Country: United States
Number of victims: 10-14 Period of killings: 1996 onwards
The Long Island serial killer is one of the most prolific unidentified killers in New
York’s history, with up to 14 deaths to their name over the course of almost two decades.
Each victim was connected to the sex trade in some way.
Police have officially confirmed that they believe one person is responsible for ten
of the murders, and that they are almost certainly a resident of Long Island.
Most of the victims appeared to have died in particularly violent circumstances, dumped
or buried to be discovered up to a decade after their death.
Because many of the remains weren’t discovered until years later, police had a tough time
identifying several of the victims.
One corpse was identified to be a young Asian male wearing women’s clothes, while another
case emerged to be a female prostitute and her toddler daughter.
The Long Island murders have been highly controversial, and lawsuits have been filed against police
by the relations of at least one of the victims.
The killer is still very much at large, and the corpse of a potential victim named Natasha
Jugo was discovered only last year.
2.
The Smiley Face Murderer(s) Country: United States
Number of victims: 40+ (estimated) Period of killings: 90’s – 00’s
The Smiley Face Killings refers to the deaths of a high number of young males that drowned
in several states across the course of around a decade.
The cases have never been proven to be the works of a serial killer or gang of murderers.
In fact, the official conclusion for the cases is that the victims died of accidental drowning.
However, it has been theorised by two retired detectives, named Anthony Duarte and Kevin
Gannon, that the incidents were far from accidental.
The theory is that the alleged murders are linked by the similar characteristics of the
victims, as well as the unsettling presence of disturbing smiley face graffiti near the
locations of at least twelve of the cases.
The males involved with the incidents were all of college-age and generally fit the profile
of being athletic, popular and white.
The smiley face graffiti varied slightly in each case, though each appeared more ominous
than the last.
In one of the most damning pieces of evidence, a red smiley face with devil’s horns was
found next to a note that read “Evil Happy Smiley Face Man”.
Duarte told police that this indicated the killer was still at large, and actively taunting
the police.
Duarte and Gannon’s theory wasn’t accepted by the FBI though, who denied that there was
enough evidence to support the claims.
Instead, the official statement is that the majority of the forty or so of the deaths
were “alcohol-related drownings”.
1.
The Vending Machine Killer Country: Japan
Number of victims: 12 Period of killings: April 30, 1985 – November
17, 1985 The ‘Vending Machine Killer’ is a proposed
serial killer, infamous in Japan for the Paraquat murders that took place in 1985.
The first victim of the Paraquat murders died on the 30th April in Fukuyama, after consuming
a beverage laced with the poisonous herbicide paraquat.
Following the first murder, eleven more were killed in the same way, between the 11th of
September and 17th of November.
The poisoned drinks weren’t located inside the machines themselves, but found on top
of or next to them.
It has been hypothesised that at least one of the murders was committed by a copy cat
killer, as one case saw the drink laced with the equally poisonous herbicide diquat.
Fortunately, the killings stopped following the twelfth murder, after signs with warnings
not to consume any drinks found nearby were posted on all vending machines.
However, the case remains unsolved, and the culprit has never been identified.