List of serial killers in the United States


A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines serial killing as "a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone".

Identified serial killers

Unidentified serial killers

This is a list of unidentified serial killers who committed crimes within the United States.
NameYears activeProven victimsPossible victimsRegion where activeNotesRef
Alphabet murders1971–197333NYAlso known as the "Double Initial Murders"; murders of three young girls in the Rochester, New York area in the early 1970s
Ann Arbor Hospital Murders19751010MIPoisonings of 10 patients at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in 1975. Two nurses, Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez, were convicted but a new trial was ordered because of prosecutorial misconduct. The prosecution chose to drop the charges rather than retry.
Atlanta Ripper19111515–21GAMystery murderer of 15 Atlanta women in 1911
Axeman of New Orleans1918–191966–7LAResponsible for the deaths of six or seven people in New Orleans and the surrounding areas from 1918–1919
Boston Strangler1962–19641313MA1960s deaths of 13 women, mostly with their own stockings as ligature. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the murders, but was never indicted; DNA evidence tested in 2013 suggested his guilt in one of the cases
Charlie Chop-off1972–197466NYMurders of five boys in Manhattan in 1972 and 1973. A mental patient confessed to one slashing death. Four stabbings also involving mutilation remain unsolved
Chicago Strangler2001–20185555+ILRaped and strangled predominantly African-American prostitutes and other vulnerable women in Chicago; could possibly be multiple serial killers
Cincinnati Strangler1965–196677OHRaped and strangled seven mostly elderly women in Cincinnati, Ohio between 1965 and 1966; Cab driver Posteal Laskey, Jr. is commonly believed to be culprit
Cleveland Torso Murderer19341340+OHAlso known as the "Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run"; responsible for 12–13 murders in the Cleveland, Ohio area in the 1930s
Colonial Parkway Killer1986–198988VABelieved to have murdered at least eight people in Virginia between 1986 and 1989; left three couples dead and one couple missing and presumed dead
Connecticut River Valley Killer1978–198777+MA, NH, VTStabbed at least six women to death in New England in the 1980s, severely injured one
Cumminsville murders1904–191055OHSeries of brutal murders and mutilations of women in the Cincinnati neighborhood of South Cumminsville
Dayton Strangler1900–190966OHMurdered five women and one man in Dayton, Ohio in the early 20th-century; one man was wrongfully convicted for the murders
Daytona Beach killer2005–201647+FLMurdered four, possibly five, women in Daytona Beach, Florida between 2005 and 2007. Suspect Arrested September 15, 2019
Denver Prostitute Killer1975–19951727COAbducted, raped and strangled young girls and women around Denver and its various suburbs
Denver Strangler1894–190335COStrangled three prostitutes in Denver in 10 weeks; also thought to be responsible in two more murders
The Doodler1974–19751414CASketched then stabbed to death 14 gay men in San Francisco, California in the 1970s
Dr. No1981–200499+OH, IL, NY, PASuspected of raping and strangling prostitutes alongside the Interstate 71; his first suspected victim is Marcia King, who was identified in 2018. Samuel Legg III, a trucker, has been arrested and charged but this far is incompetent to stand trial. He is receiving psychiatric treatment while they try to restore competency.
Eastbound Strangler200644NJMurdered four women near Atlantic City, New Jersey in 2006.
Edgecombe County Serial Killer2000s910NCMurders of nine women and disappearance of another since 2005 around Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Antwan Pittman has been convicted in one case
Flat-Tire murders197555+FLKilled five women in 1975
Frankford Slasher1985–199089PA, NJAllegedly responsible for nine murders in the Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Leonard Christopher was convicted of one murder; another murder was committed in same style while he was incarcerated; believed to still be at large
Freeway Phantom1971–197267DCRaped and strangled six young women and girls in Washington, D.C. in the early 1970s, dumping their bodies by freeways
Gypsy Hill killings197655+CAKnown as the "San Mateo slasher"; five unsolved killings, of young women in San Mateo County, California during early 1976; in 2014, the FBI named Rodney Halbower as a person of interest in the Gypsy Hill killings; as of 2018, he has been convicted in two of the murders
Hog Trail Murders1993–1996612FLMutilated bodies of young men found in Charlotte County, Florida; thought to be linked to Daniel Conahan, who was charged and convicted of one of the murders.
Honolulu Strangler1985–198655HIRaped and strangled five young women in Hawaii in 1985 and 1986
I-45 Killer198004+TXStrangled four known victims in 1980 and sexually assaulted some. Three of the four women have never been identified.
I-70 Killer1992–1994?68+IN, MO, KS
TX 		Killed and robbed six store clerks around the Midwestern United States
Jeff Davis 82005–200988LAThe bodies of eight women were found in swamps and canals surrounding Jennings, Louisiana. Originally thought to be a serial killer, but multiple suspects may be involved
Long Island serial killer1996–20101017NYSuspected of killing eight women, a man and a child since 1996 and dumping their bodies along remote beaches in Suffolk and Nassau County, New York. The killer has been referred to as the Gilgo Beach killer because of the location where the first bodies were found
The Man from the Train1900–1912040+USAProbably one Paul Mueller. Killed whole families in their sleep, from the east coast to the west and many places between, arriving and departing by train. Existence discovered over 100 years after the murders, by analysis of contemporary records, showing a markedly common modus operandi for many previously unconnected crimes.
Maryvale serial shooter2015–201699AZAttacked at night from a car using a handgun, killing seven people and injuring two between August 2015 and July 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona
Michigan Murders1967–196917MIRaped, stabbed, and strangled young women between the ages of 13 and 21 in the Washtenaw County area of Michigan. John Norman Collins was convicted of the last murder in the series and strongly suspected to be responsible for all seven murders attributed to the same perpetrator.
New Bedford Highway Killer1988–1989911MAMurders of nine women and disappearance of two others between 1988 and 1989
Oakland County Child Killer1976–197744+MIAlso known as the "Babysitter"; responsible for the murders of four or more children in Oakland County, Michigan in 1976 and 1977
Phantom Killer194655TXBelieved to have committed the Texarkana Moonlight Murders in Texas between February 23 and May 4, 1946
Redhead murders1978–1992811TN, AR, KY, MS, PA, WVSeries of unsolved homicides believed to have been committed by an unidentified serial killer in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, also known as "The Bible Belt Strangler"
Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders1972–197377+CAA series of at least seven unsolved homicides involving female hitchhikers that took place in Sonoma County and Santa Rosa of the North Bay area of California in 1972 and 1973
Seminole Heights serial killer201744FLShot and killed four people, seemingly at random, in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida. On November 28, 2017, police arrested Howell Emanuel Donaldson III in connection with the killings. Donaldson is set for pre-trial hearing on August 20, 2020.
Servant Girl Annihilator1884–188588TXAlso known as the "Austin Axe Murderer"; responsible for at least seven murders in Austin, Texas between 1884 and 1885
Skid Row Stabber1978–19791111CAMurdered homeless men in Los Angeles' Skid Row neighborhood; Bobby Joe Maxwell was falsely convicted of two of the murders and accused of the rest, and died while in a coma prior to being exonerated
Smiley face murder theory1990s–2000s040+USATheoretical serial killer thought by some sources to have drowned college-aged young men across the northern part of the country since 1997; most experts suggest that the deaths were accidental
Texas Killing Fields1970s–2000s130+TXSince the early 1970s, roughly 30 bodies have been extracted from the fields, mainly consisting of young girls. May have been the work of multiple killers. Convicted murderer Edward Harold Bell, 72 years old in November 2011, claimed in a letter to police in 1998 to have murdered 11 girls in Galveston County. Kevin Edison Smith was sentenced to life imprisonment for one of the murders in 2012.
Tube Sock Killings198546WAUnsolved murders which occurred in the remote community of Mineral in Washington
West Mesa murders2003–20091111+NMRemains of 11 women, who disappeared between 2003 and 2005, found buried in desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2009 and attributed to a bone collector
Zodiac Killer1968–1974537CA
NV 		Targeted young couples. Remains unsolved but open in the California jurisdictions the five certain Zodiac murders occurred. Potentially 37 total victims claimed but unverified.