The Most Terrifying Serial Killers Who Were Never Caught

The Zodiac Killer used the pseudonym for an unknown serial killer. This killer operated in Northern California from the late 1960s through the early 1970s. The Zodiac murdered people in Benicia, Vallejo, Lake Berryessa, and San Francisco between December 1968 and October 1969. The killer targeted four men and three women, aged 16 to 29. Two of those men survived attempted murder. The Zodiac claimed up to 37 victims. The killer created the name "Zodiac" with taunting letters sent to the Bay Area press. These letters contained four cryptograms, or ciphers.

Jack the Ripper, an unidentified serial killer, operated in the impoverished areas near Whitechapel, London, in 1888. Criminal files and news reports named the killer the Whitechapel Murderer and Leather Apron. Attacks attributed to Jack the Ripper targeted female prostitutes in the East End slums. These attacks involved cutting the throats of the victims before mutilating their abdomens. Removing internal organs from three victims sparked proposals.

The Golden State Killer committed at least 13 murders, over 50 rapes, and more than 100 burglaries in California between 1974 and 1986. This serial killer also committed at least three crime sprees across California. Each spree earned a different press nickname before authorities realized one person carried them out. In the Sacramento area, he became known as the East Area Rapist. He also linked his methods to attacks in Contra Costa County, Stockton, and Modesto. He later became known for his southern California activities.

The Axeman of New Orleans was an American serial killer. He acted in New Orleans, Louisiana, and surrounding areas like Gretna, from May 1918 to October 1919. Press reports during the public panic mentioned similar murders as early as 1911, though recent researchers question these reports. No one identified the Axeman, and the murders remain unsolved.

The Oakland County Child Killer (OCCK) name refers to the person or people who murdered two girls and two boys in Oakland County, Michigan, in 1976 and 1977. The perpetrator held the victims prisoner before killing them. A small group of offenders might have been involved in these crimes. Forensic DNA testing pointed to two suspects: one is now dead, and the other is in prison for crimes against children. A DNA profile found on some bodies matches the main perpetrator but does not match anyone named in connection with the case or his identity.

The Long Island serial killer, also called LISK, the Gilgo Beach Killer, or the Craigslist Ripper, remains unidentified. Police suspect this killer murdered ten to sixteen people over nearly twenty years. Most victims were women connected to prostitution. The killer left their bodies in locations on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. Victims were found along the Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo and Oak Beach in Suffolk County, and at Jones Beach State Park in Nassau County. Four victims' remains surfaced in December 2010; six more remain.

The Cleveland Torso Murderer, also known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, was an unidentified serial killer in Cleveland, Ohio, United States during the 1930s. This killer dismembered twelve known victims and dumped their remains in the poor Kingsbury Run neighborhood. An investigation, led by Eliot Ness, then Cleveland's Public Safety Director, never caught the murderer.

The Texarkana Moonlight Murders were unsolved murders and violent crimes near Texarkana in the spring of 1946. An unidentified serial killer, called the "Phantom Killer" or "Phantom Slayer," committed these acts. The killer attacked eight people in ten weeks, killing five. These attacks occurred on weekends between February 22, 1946, and May 3, 1946. Jimmy Hollis and Mary Larey survived the first attacks. Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore were the first double-murder victims, happening four weeks later.

A serial killer became known as the Servant Girl Annihilator. This killer targeted the city of Austin, Texas, between 1884 and 1885. O. Henry gave the sobriquet. Contemporary sources called the eight axe murders the Servant Girl Murders. The December 26, 1885, New York Times reported the murders involved "some cunning madman, who is insane on the subject of killing women." These murders show an early serial killer in the United States, three years before the Jack the Ripper murders in Whitechapel.

The Freeway Phantom is a media name for an unidentified serial killer. This killer operated in Washington, D.C., from April 1971 through September 1972.

The Colonial Parkway Murders involved an apparent serial killer who murdered at least eight people along the Colonial Parkway in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia or nearby between 1986 and 1989. Three couples were murdered during that time, and one couple is missing and presumed dead. Authorities have never identified the killer, and his or her location remains unknown.

The New Bedford Highway Killer remains unidentified. This killer killed at least nine women and made two other women disappear in New Bedford, Massachusetts, from July 1988 to June 1989. Investigators suspect the killer also assaulted many other women. All victims were known prostitutes or substance abusers. Authorities found the victims in surrounding towns like Dartmouth, Freetown, and Westport, Massachusetts, along Route 140. John Dextrad led the main detective effort on this case.