The peak era of American ser!al kllers might have been in the latter half of the 20th century, especially during the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. However, serial k!lling didn’t just stop after that period. It might seem like it would have, considering the advancements in technology, right? DNA analysis has greatly improved, consistently solving cold cases from decades ago, with genealogy websites playing a significant role in these breakthroughs. Additionally, law enforcement agencies are increasingly leveraging these tools in their pursuit of justice.
Furthermore, it feels like surveillance cameras are everywhere these days—on nearly every building, watching almost every corner. This omnipresence of cameras makes it seem as though everything you do is recorded, which would presumably make committing multiple m*rders more challenging. After all, it’s like Big Brother is always watching.
Unfortunately, serial k!llers are still active today. In recent decades, some highly elusive serial k!llers have continued their grim pursuits undetected. This list will explore ten of the most chilling 21st-century serial k!llers who have managed to evade capture while continuing their spree. After reading about these individuals, you might find yourself casting a second glance at strangers you encounter on the street.
10. Little Rock Slasher
Between August 2020 and April 2021, Little Rock, Arkansas, was the site of several v!olent incidents where three individuals were fatally st@bbed and a fourth seriously injured in the same neighborhood during the early hours between 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Although CCTV managed to record someone moving through the area at the times of the attacks, the identity of the assailant remains unknown, and they have not been apprehended for these crimes.
The investigation gained momentum after the fourth victim, who survived, provided a description of the attacker. She recounted that the assailant, a tall, thin black man in his early 20s, approached her without warning or words and started st@bbing her as she was walking in the neighborhood.
Following the st@bbing incidents in Little Rock, local police increased patrols across the city, particularly in the neighborhood where the attacks took place. Vigilante groups also vowed to track down the perpetrator. Despite these efforts, no arrests have been made yet. Fortunately, there have been no new st@bbings attributed to this assailant since April 2021. Law enforcement remains hopeful that the attacker has ceased his activities and continues to work diligently to locate him, all the while hoping he does not resume his attacks.
9. South Memphis Prost!tute K!ller
Between late January and late February 2011, a serial k!ller targeted female s*x workers in a South Memphis neighborhood, committing his crimes near or within Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Over the course of a month, four women were f@tally shot while working in this rough area. Visitors to the cemetery during the day would discover the bodies and notify the police. At each crime scene, detectives encountered a similar grim reality: a s*x worker shot dead with few leads to pursue.
In February 2011, the only surviving victim narrowly escaped death. She was shot but managed to flee and receive medical treatment at a hospital. She described the attacker as a young black man in his early 20s with distinctive cornrows, driving a dark car that was either a Dodge Charger or a Chrysler 300.
Memphis police believed the cases were connected, especially after extracting the same DNA from each scene. However, two significant challenges arose. First, since the victims were sex workers, it was difficult to conclusively determine that the DNA didn’t belong to a client who had been with them earlier. Additionally, the DNA found did not match any profiles in criminal databases at that time.
The hope remains that future law enforcement encounters will eventually match the DNA and provide a break in the case. Until then, the three m*rders and one attempted m*rder remain unsolved.
- 8. Boca Raton Town Center M*rders
Throughout 2007, a series of brazen, high-profile k!dnappings and m*rders occurred at the Boca Raton Town Center Mall in South Florida, drawing national attention due to their daring execution during broad daylight and the subsequent inability of the police to identify the perpetrator.
The alarming pattern began in March when a 52-year-old woman was forcefully abducted from the mall’s parking lot along with her vehicle and later m*rdered. The situation escalated in December when a 47-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter were also kidnapped from the mall. Their bodies were later discovered bound and shot in the head inside the woman’s SUV.
Following these horr!fic events, police disclosed a third incident from August involving a similar k!dnapping at the mall. In this case, a mother and her two-year-old son were abducted and tied up in their car, but, fortunately, they were left alive and physically unharmed.
Despite the severity and similarity of these crimes, no arrests have been made related to the three murders. To this day, the identity and motives of the perpetrator remain elusive, leaving law enforcement and the community searching for answers on how these dreadful attacks were carried out and by whom.
7. Eastbound Str@ngler
The “Eastbound Str@ngler” is the moniker given to an unidentified serial k!ller who targeted Atlantic City, New Jersey, in late 2006. Despite a substantial reward for information, the k!ller’s identity remains unknown. Within a short span between October and November of that year, four s*x workers were m*rdered, their bodies discovered on November 20, 2006, in a drainage ditch behind the Golden Key Motel in Egg Harbor Township, just outside the well-known gambling hub.
All four victims were found simultaneously, positioned face down in shallow water, spaced approximately 60 feet apart in a linear arrangement. They were clothed but without shoes or socks. The alignment of the bodies, all facing east, and the method of m*rder—str@ngulation—led to the k!ller’s nickname.
Despite extensive investigations, little else is known about the circumstances surrounding their deaths, including the precise timing of their disappearances or their last known interactions. Police have thoroughly investigated several suspects and even explored connections to the Gilgo Beach m*rders on Long Island, though they have confirmed that the cases are unrelated. The anonymity and abrupt cessation of the Eastbound Str@ngler’s activities continue to perplex authorities.
6. The Jeff Davis 8
Between 2005 and 2009, the small town of Jennings, Louisiana, located in Jefferson Davis Parish between Lafayette and Lake Charles, became the grim backdrop for the discovery of eight women’s bodies in local swamps and canals. Jennings, a quiet, rural oil town that had largely gone unnoticed, suddenly drew significant attention from local and state law enforcement as the deaths mounted.
The victims, who were all acquainted or aware of each other given the town’s size, presented a complex puzzle for investigators. The advanced decomposition of the bodies severely hampered efforts to determine the exact causes of death. As law enforcement struggled to make headway, the media stepped in, with investigative journalists and long-form writers highlighting numerous investigative oversights and instances of missing evidence.
Compounding the mystery, there is ongoing uncertainty within the sheriff’s office about whether these k!llings are the work of a single serial k!ller or multiple perpetrators. This uncertainty itself is deeply unsettling. Furthermore, investigative reporting has unearthed allegations of police involvement in the m*rders, suggesting possible corruption among officers and connections to illegal drug activities within the sheriff’s department. To date, the individual or individuals responsible for these m*rders remain unidentified and at large.
5. West Mesa Bone Collector
In 2009, the case of the “West Mesa Bone Collector” emerged prominently when the remains of at least eleven women were discovered in a desert area outside Albuquerque, New Mexico. Despite several theories and potential suspects, no one has been officially charged. Authorities continue to investigate, considering the possibility that these m*rders were connected to a s*x trafficking ring operating between Mexico, Central America, and the southwestern United States.
Police used satellite imagery and analyzed the development timeline of suburban housing on Albuquerque’s western outskirts to establish that the bodies were buried along an arroyo bank from 2001 to 2005. Satellite photos from 2003 to 2005 revealed tire tracks and disturbed soil exactly where the remains were later found.
The area began to be developed for housing in 2006, and over the next three years, the construction disrupted the previously undiscovered burial site, leading to the exposure of the bones. More remains surfaced in 2009 when a woman walking her dog discovered them following a rainstorm and subsequent flooding. Ultimately, the bodies of eleven women and a fetus were unearthed.
The victims were estimated to be between 15 and 32 years old based on forensic analysis of their bones. Those who have been identified through DNA were known to have been involved in prostitution, sex work, or substance abuse. Anonymous tips to Albuquerque police have suggested a suspect from Central America might be involved in a large-scale prostitution operation, though the accuracy of these tips remains unconfirmed. As of now, the identity of the k!ller or ki!lers is still unknown, leaving the case open and unresolved.
4. Main South Woodsman
The unidentified serial k!ller known as the “Main South Woodsman” operated in Worcester, Massachusetts, from 2002 to 2007, primarily targeting victims in the city’s Main South area. Police investigations suggest he was responsible for the deaths of three to five prost!tutes, all Hispanic women aged between 29 and 42, many of whom struggled with drug add!ction and were known to law enforcement through their involvement in prost!tution.
Authorities, including the FBI, developed a detailed psychological profile of the k!ller. He was likely a blue-collar worker, possibly a truck driver or maintenance man, and probably drove a pickup truck or SUV, based on witness accounts. His familiarity with Worcester’s red-light district and the local community suggests he lived close to or within Worcester.
In 2008, police identified Alex Scesny as a suspect. Scesny had a past marked by s*xual abuse and had been convicted of m*rdering another prost!tute in a different case. Although he is currently in prison, he has not been charged with the Main South k!llings. Despite being publicly named a person of interest, no definitive evidence has conclusively linked him to the serial m*rders, leaving the cases unresolved.
3. Chicago Str@ngler
Over the past 23 years, at least 50 Black women, many of whom were engaged in prost!tution and s*x work, have been m*rdered in and around Chicago. The pattern of their deaths is hauntingly similar: they were str@ngled, then either partially or fully stripped before being discarded in abandoned buildings, along alleyways, or in garbage bins.
The Chicago police have acknowledged the severity of these crimes and initiated investigations. These efforts have led to the arrest of more than a dozen individuals responsible for several of these m*rders, providing a measure of justice for some of the victims.
However, many of these cases remain unresolved with no suspects identified, raising concerns within the community that one or more serial k!llers could still be at large, particularly targeting s*x workers in Chicago’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. This situation has persisted for two decades, sparking outcry for enhanced investigative efforts.
Community activists have been vocal in demanding more effective police responses. The M*rder Accountability Project has also engaged, applying their data analysis and pattern recognition techniques to suggest that many of these m*rders could be connected based on how closely timed and geographically proximate they are. Despite these tools and community efforts, significant progress in identifying any ongoing threats remains elusive, leaving critical questions unanswered about the presence of active serial k!llers in the area.
2. Kauai Serial K!ller
Kauai, often celebrated as the Garden Isle, is one of the most picturesque locations in the United States. However, during the summer of 2000, the island was overshadowed by fear and uncertainty as two women were fatally st*bbed and a third narrowly survived an attack between April and August. The survivor provided police with enough details to create a detailed composite sketch of the assailant. Additionally, Kauai police retrieved DNA from the scene of the attacks, including the surviving victim’s r@pe kit and the deceased victims, but they have yet to find a match in any existing database.
Throughout their investigation, local law enforcement questioned seventy registered s*x offenders on the island, but none warranted further scrutiny. The focus then shifted to a man who had a history of r@pe and k!dnapping on Oahu and had moved to Kauai after being paroled in 1999. Arrested later that year for a parole v!olation, his DNA was collected and tested against the samples from the crime scenes. The results were inconclusive, and no charges were brought against him for the m*rders.
To this day, the identity of the Kauai serial k!ller remains a mystery, marking a rare and unsettling chapter in the island’s history. He appears to have ceased his activities and vanished without a trace, leaving the community with unresolved grief and lingering questions.
1. The I-70 Killer
The I-70 K!ller is an elusive figure responsible for a series of chilling hom!cides that began in the spring of 1992, targeting store clerks across the Midwest. The attacks occurred along the Interstate 70 corridor, and despite extensive investigations, the k!ller was never apprehended at the time.
The case took on a renewed sense of urgency when similar shootings surfaced in Texas during late 1993 and early 1994, prompting a task force involving state police and local sheriff’s departments to investigate a possible multi-state serial k!ller operating across several years.
The relevance of these cases to contemporary discussions arose when the k!ller resurfaced nearly a decade later. In 2001, a gas station clerk near I-70 in Terre Haute, Indiana, was f@tally shot, linking back to the earlier spate of crimes. This connection was only confirmed in November 2021, reigniting the investigation.
A significant breakthrough occurred with the 2001 incident, as security footage captured the assailant approaching the store. This footage provided new leads, identifying several persons of interest and suggesting that the k!ller might be residing in Indianapolis. Despite these developments and substantial investigative efforts, no arrests have been made as of mid-2024. The identity of the persons of interest remains undisclosed, leaving the cases unresolved and the k!ller’s identity a mystery.