The "Zodiac Killer," a self-given pseudonym of an unidentified serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s, and whose crimes are widely considered the most famous unsolved murder case in American history.
Charles Manson, the illegitimate son of a bisexual teenage prostitute is so often categorised as a serial killer that it's often presumed he took part in the infamous stabbings, shootings and strangulations.
The most prolific modern serial killer is arguably doctor Harold Shipman, with 218 probable murders and possibly as many as 250 (see "Medical professionals", below). However, he was actually convicted of a sample of 15 murders.
Was the Zodiac killer ever caught? No. The investigation into the murders carried out by the Zodiac killer in the late 1960s remains open.
Jack the Ripper was an English serial killer. Between August and November 1888, he murdered at least five women—all prostitutes—in or near the Whitechapel district of London's East End. Jack the Ripper was never identified or arrested. Today the murder sites are the locus of a macabre tourist industry in London.
"The FBI's investigation into the Zodiac Killer remains open and unsolved," the FBI's San Francisco Office told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, and out of respect for the victims and their families, we will not be providing further comment at this time."
Serial killers. Australians convicted of multiple murders: Catherine Birnie, rape and murder of four women in Perth in 1986. David Birnie (1951–2005) rape and murder of four women in Perth in 1986.
Eight-year-old Amarjeet Sada was all smiles when he was brought to the police station in 2007 in connection with the murder of an infant. Sada, known as the world's youngest serial killer, was held after three murders, two of which went unreported.
Ana di Pištonja, also known as Baba Anujka or even the Banat Witch, was an accomplished amateur chemist who used her skills to kill up to 150 people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her origins are shrouded in mystery.
Numbers peaked in the 1970s when there were nearly 300 known active serial killers in the U.S. In the 1980s, there were more than 250 active killers who accounted for between 120 and 180 deaths per year. By the time the 2010s rolled around there were fewer than 50 known active killers.
Murder was uncommon
A key reason that the Ripper was never caught is a simple one, that murder was still uncommon during the reign of Queen Victoria. In the Metropolitan Police area, there were 13 murders in 1887, 28 in 1888 and 17 in 1889.
On July 26, 1984, Ed Gein, a serial killer infamous for skinning human corpses, dies of complications from cancer in a Wisconsin prison at age 77.
While the origin of the term "serial killer" may be slightly ambiguous, it is quite clear which country is home to the highest number of serial killers. The United States is the runaway leader in this category, with more documented serial killers in its history than the next ten closest countries combined.
In addition, 82 percent of American serial killers were white, 15 percent were black, and 2.5 percent were Hispanic.
New York. Coming in at number one, we have New York. As of 2023, New York has been home to 18 serial killers, and has a total number of 677 serial killer victims. David Richard Berkowitz, known as “The Son of Sam,” is New York's most infamous serial killer.
Joseph Hakan Ayik, also known as Hakan Reis (born 31 January 1979) is a Turkish - Australian drug trafficker. He has an estimated net worth of 1.2 billion dollars, and was described in June 2021 as "Australia's most wanted man".
The dark man : Australia's first serial killer / Jason K. Foster | National Library of Australia.
Whether it was Gary Francis Poste or not, one thing that is clear according to the authorities is that the Zodiac killer would now be around 90 years old.
The only suspect authorities ever publicly identified is Arthur Leigh Allen, a schoolteacher who was institutionalized in 1975 for child molestation.