The Serial Killers Who Terrorized America – But Were Never Caught

While people have always held a fascination for the minds and methods of serial killers, a chilling fact remains evident—not all of them are caught.

With improved police tactics, broader information storage, DNA evidence, and increased surveillance, it has also become more difficult for individuals to get away with serious crimes.

However, David Wilson, professor emeritus of criminology and the founding director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University, U.K., spoke to Newsweek and highlighted that there is still a need for significant changes in order to capture them.

He noted that while there have been a wealth of improvements over the decades, serial killers still manage to escape justice through thorough planning, well-picked targets, and exploiting police failings.

Jack Levin, professor emeritus and co-director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict at the North Eastern University also spoke to Newsweek about how serial killers avoid detection.

"[Serial killers] have exceptional street smarts, even if their intelligence is not above average. They are extraordinarily ordinary in appearance and everyday behavior—the last person you would suspect of being a killer," he told Newsweek.

"The most successful serial killers plan their attacks, leaving very little to chance. They wait patiently for the optimum moment to strike."

Below are five serial killers in U.S. history who were never caught and their victims.

The Zodiac Killer

When: 1968-1969

The Zodiac Killer remains one of the most prolific incidents of serial killing in American history.

The Zodiac killed at least five known victims in the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and quickly shot to notoriety due to his repeated taunts to the media and police.

The killer earned the name through the coded taunting letters he sent to regional newspapers where he made further threats to kill.

While authorities were able to confirm five of his victims, as well as two individuals who survived an alleged encounter with the killer, he claimed to actually have killed 37 people.

The names of the confirmed victims:

David Arthur Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen were shot on December 20, 1968, on Lake Herman Road.

Michael Renault Mageau and Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin were shot on July 4, 1969, in the parking lot of Blue Rock Springs Park. Mageau survived the attack.

Bryan Calvin Hartnell and Cecelia Ann Shepard were stabbed on September 27, 1969, at Lake Berryessa in Napa County. Hartnell survived the attack.

Paul Lee Stine was shot and killed on October 11, 1969, in the Presidio Heights neighborhood.

The Alphabet Killer

When: 1971-1973

The Alphabet Killer was the name given to the unknown person who killed three children—all girls—in the early 1970s in Rochester, New York.

All three victims had a name whose first and last name started with the same letter, hence the name given to the serial killer.

Each victim, the youngest being ten-years-old, had been sexually assaulted and killed by strangulation.

The names of the confirmed victims:

Carmen Colón, 10, was abducted on November 16, 1971, while on an errand to the pharmacy in Rochester, New York.

She was seen getting into a car parked close to the pharmacy after leaving the store. Her family reported her missing later that day.

Wanda Walkowicz, 11, disappeared from east Rochester on April 2, 1973. She too was conducting an errand when she was abducted—this time after a trip to the grocery store.

Michelle Maenza, 11, disappeared on November 26, 1973, and was reported missing by her mother after she failed to return home from school.

Each of the victim's bodies was discovered in isolated areas less than three days after their abduction.

The Black Doodler

When: 1974 -1975

The Black Doodler, also known as The Doodler, is believed to have killed as many as 16 men in San Francisco, California, in the 1970s.

The nickname was given due to his habit of sketching his victims before engaging in sexual activity and then stabbing them.

The Black Doodler was believed to have killed between six and 16 people after meeting them in gay clubs, bars, and restaurants.

Multiple victims were stabbed in the front and back of their bodies in similar positions. They were all white males and police believed their bodies were found close to the locations they had been killed.

The names of the confirmed victims:

Gerald Cavanagh's deceased body was found on January 24, 1974, on Ocean Beach in San Francisco.

Joseph 'Jae' Stevens was found June 25, 1974, near Spreckels Lake.

Klaus Christmann was discovered on July 7, 1974, at Ocean Beach and police believe his death had been more violent than the others.

Warren Andrews was killed in Land's End in April 1975 and was only identified in January 2022.

Frederick Capin was found on May 12, 1975, in San Francisco

Harald Gullberg's body was discovered on June 4, 1975, partially decomposed in Lincoln Park.

The Babysitter Killer

When: 1976-1977

The Babysitter Killer, who was also referred to as the Oakland County Child Killer or OCCK was the name given to the perpetrator(s) responsible for the killing of four children in Oakland, Michigan.

The attacks against the four children—two boys and two girls—happened between 1976 and 1977 and authorities believe the victims were held captive before they were killed.

The four child victims were either strangled or shot, with two of the boys being sexually abused beforehand. Their bodies were found within 19 days of their disappearance.

The names of the confirmed victims:

Mark Stebbins, 12, was reported missing on February 15, 1976, and his body was found within four days in Southfield.

Jill Robinson, 12, left her home on December 22, 1976, after an argument with her mother, and her body was found alongside Interstate 75 in Troy on December 26.

Kristine Mihelich, 10, was reported missing on January 2, 1977, after failing to return home after visiting a 7-Eleven store. She was found 19 days later on the side of a quiet road in Franklin Village.

Timothy King, 11, went to the pharmacy on the evening of March 16, 1977, but was reported missing after failing to return home. He was found on March 22 in six days' time.

Long Island Killer

When: 1996-2010

The Long Island serial killer, who racked up a slew of other nicknames, was an unidentified serial killer who is believed to have murdered between 10 and 16 people over a 20-year period in New York.

The majority of his victims were known to be sex workers who advertised on Craigslist. Their bodies were disposed of in areas on the South Shore of Long Island.

Despite authorities being able to confirm the victims died as early as 1996, their remains were only found over a period of months in 2010 and 2011.

Their remains were found after a police search of the area following the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert.

Four of the suspected victims of the perpetrator became known as 'The Gilgo Four' who were found in December 2010.

In April 2011, four more suspected victims' remains were tied to the Long Island Killer. Four unidentified remains were discovered in the area.

The names of the confirmed victims:

The Gilgo Four included Maureen Brainard-Barnes of Norwich, Connecticut, who was 25 when disappeared on July 9, 2007; Melissa Barthelemy went missing on July 12 at age 24 and was living in the Bronx and working as an escort; Megan Waterman, 22, of South Portland, Maine, went missing on June 6, 2010, after placing advertisements on Craigslist as an escort; Amber Lynn Costello, 27, of West Babylon, New York, was a sex worker who went missing on September 2, 2010.

Other confirmed victims were Jessica Taylor, a 20-year-old who went missing on July 21, 2003, and Valerie Mack, who was also known as Melissa Taylor. Taylor was living in Philadelphia and working as an escort when she went missing in 2000.

Shannan Gilbert's body was found in a marsh about half a mile from when she had disappeared. She had worked as an escort and on the night of her disappearance called the police saying she feared for her life.

Serial killer expert and professor David Wilson shared what he believed would be the best way to combat the number of serial killers the world would see in the future.

He highlighted that prejudices held by police, such as racism, homophobia, and sexism, can allow serial killers to get away with their crimes.

He also noted the importance of community and individuals supporting one another in their time of need in preventing serial killers from operating so easily.

Wilson said: "Serial killers expose vulnerabilities in our culture. So you try to reduce those vulnerabilities.

"If you, therefore, challenge homophobia, if you have a grown-up debate about how we police sex work and if you give older people in our culture a voice, you would reduce the numbers of serial killers automatically.

"This is because when people matter and when one person looks out for others, that is when you reduce the number of serial killers in our culture."

Correction 12/22/22, 03:15 a.m. ET: This article was updated to state it is about five serial killers that were never caught, not seven.