10 Serial Killers That Are STILL ACTIVE
The Eastbound Strangler
10 American Serial Killers That Are STILL ACTIVE
In November of 2006, four bodies were found in a drainage ditch near Atlantic City, New Jersey. They were later identified as Barbara Breidor, Molly Jean Dilts, Kim Raffo, and Tracy Ann Roberts - four women who earned a living as sex workers in the area. The women appeared to have been strangled, with their bodies lined up in a row, facing east. For these reasons, their killer was given the name, the “Eastbound Strangler.” Multiple suspects were quickly identified, but DNA evidence retrieved from the crime scene cleared them all of the murders. Despite a $25,000 reward, the Eastbound Strangler has never been found and probably still walks free today.
The Danilovsky Maniac
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Also referred to as “The Maniac with Dull Eyes” based on a vague description of him, the Danilovsky Maniac was responsible for the deaths of at least seven women between 2004 and 2007. The Maniac targeted women in the Russian city of Cherepovets, killing three of them in an abandoned building on Danilovsky Street - hence the nickname. He is believed to have been active since as far back as 1999, and was possibly responsible for another murder in 2010. Even with around 200 people being interrogated and a reward of 500,000 rubles on the table, the identity of the Maniac has remained unknown.
The Rainbow Maniac
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Between February 2007 and August 2008, the city of Carapicuíba in São Paulo, Brazil was rocked with a string of murders that have gone unsolved to this day. During that period, thirteen gay men between the ages of 20-40 were sent to their early graves by a serial killer now referred to as the “Rainbow Maniac.” All of the crimes occurred at Paturis Park, a location that was frequented by gay men in the area. This led police to believe that the crimes were motivated by homophobic sentiments. Investigation by the authorities led to the arrest of Jairo Francisco Franco, a retired police officer. But after a trial in 2011, Franco was found not guilty and acquitted of the crimes.
The Sleepy Hollow Killer
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The metropolitan city of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa was terrorized by a serial killer in the late 1990s. Dubbed the “Sleepy Hollow Killer,” this individual targeted women in the area, killing at least thirteen of them and dumping their bodies near the busy N3 Highway. His victims were all found to have been assaulted and strangled with their own undergarments. After about a decade of apparent inactivity, the Sleepy Hollow Killer appeared to arise from his slumber. In 2007, the bodies of three women, who had been murdered in the same fashion, were discovered around the same highway. This time, however, the perpetrator had burnt the corpses beyond recognition. To date, the Sleepy Hollow Killer has never been identified.
The Belize Ripper
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The first victim of the Belize Ripper was the young Sherilee Nicholas, who went missing on September 8th 1998. Her body was found about a month later, wearing the clothes of another girl who had disappeared two days prior. Nicholas’s murder sent shockwaves through Belize, and was the first of five deaths attributed to this serial killer. Two major suspects were investigated. The first, Michael Williams, was exonerated after one of the victims went missing while he was in police custody. The second, Lonnie David Franklin, Jr., an American serial killer dubbed the “Grim Sleeper,” was believed to have been in Belize around the time of the murders. However, he died in 2020 before he could ever be charged with the crimes.
The I-70 Killer
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The Interstate 70 highway is one of the longest in the U.S., connecting multiple states between Utah and Maryland. In 1992, this route became the hunting ground of a dangerous individual known as the “I-70 killer.” The confirmed cases attributed to him include the deaths of six people who worked in convenience stores along the highway. Most of the victims were young, brunette women. The one exception was Michael McCown, the I-70 killer’s only male victim, and it is believed that his murder was a case of mistaken identity. Even with two police sketches and a detailed physical description, investigators have been unable to identify any suspect in the case.
The Jeff Davis 8 Killer
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In the mid-to-late 2000s, the Jefferson Davis Parish in Louisiana was thrust into the national spotlight due to a string of unsolved murders. Eight women, now known as the Jeff Davis 8, were killed and dumped in swamps and canals around the city of Jennings over a four-year period. The connection between the cases is striking, as all eight victims were discovered to have known each other quite well, with two of them being cousins. The victims, at some point in their lives, had also acted as police informants and even reported on each other. This led some of their families to believe that the police were somehow involved in their deaths. That theory was further supported by the 2016 book, “Murder in the Bayou.”
The Chicago Strangler
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The deaths of at least fifty women in the South and West sides of Chicago between 2001 and 2018 have left police puzzled for years. A majority of the victims shared some similarities - they were mostly black female sex workers in the area and had previous run-ins with the law. Because most of them were strangled to death, their yet-to-be identified killer, or killers, earned the nickname, the “Chicago Strangler.” While some of the cases have been solved and closed, a large number of them still remain cold to this day. A task force set up in 2019 to re-examine the case reported no evidence proving that it was necessarily the work of a single perpetrator.
The West Mesa Bone Collector
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In February 2009, Christine Ross took her dog out on a walk by the West Mesa in Albuquerque, New Mexico when the dog stumbled on a human femur. This led to the discovery of bones belonging to eleven deceased women that had been buried. After nearly one year, police finally succeeded in identifying the victims, all of whom had been reported missing between 2003 and 2004. The killings have been attributed to a single unidentified serial killer, dubbed the West Mesa Bone Collector, but police also suspect the involvement of a trafficking ring. Either way, no suspects have been charged with the crimes, so the identity of the individual, or individuals responsible still remains a mystery.
The Long Island Serial Killer
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When twenty-four-year-old Shannan Gilbert disappeared in May 2010, police conducted a search for her along the Ocean Parkway in Long Island, New York. While their search failed to turn up Gilbert, what they did find were the remains of four other women. What started out as an investigation into one woman’s whereabouts turned into a hunt for a rampaging maniac, the Long Island serial killer. Over the next few months, police found more remains belonging to six other people. The killer mostly targeted sex workers who had put up ads on Craigslist. The lengthy investigation has put forth multiple suspects and persons of interest, but with no arrests made, the Long Island serial killer may very well still be on the prowl.
