Serial Killers That Were Never Caught: Jack the Ripper, Zodiac Killer & More (2024)

Debangshu Nath

·3 min read

Serial killers have existed for centuries. The way they operate, think, and carry out their killings is surely sinister. However, it is also fascinating to learn about the background of these deranged people. Furthermore, what’s more interesting, is how they got caught in the end. Many serial killers and murderers have also received films and shows about them.

Unfortunately, there is even a large chunk of these criminals, who have never been caught or identified. While officials did take care of names like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, and Richard Ramirez, several serial murder cases still remain unsolved.

Here is a list of some notorious serial killers who were never nabbed. Films and shows have also been made about these unidentified criminals.

Jack the Ripper

A serial killer named Jack the Ripper terrorized the Whitechapel district in London during the late 19th century. He was also called Whitechapel Murderer and Leather Apron. The area where he operated was impoverished and his targets were mainly women.

On record, he took the lives of five women. Their names were Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. This bunch was collectively called ‘The canonical five’. The culprit was never caught or identified. In this day and age, his crimes have become a folklore and a source for historical research.

Jack the Ripper’s mysterious case was covered in detail in a TV series titled Biography. The episode was called Jack the Ripper: Phantom of Death. It was released in 1995.

According to IMDb, the synopsis of Jack the Ripper: Phantom of Death reads,

“In the annals of crime, perhaps no name evokes terror more than that Jack the Ripper. Although this anonymous killer committed his gruesome murders more than a century ago, his name lives on. This program goes to England to investigate the murder of five women, which took place in 1888 and have gripped the collective psyche ever since.”

Oakland County Child Killer

The Oakland County Child Killer aka. the Babysitter Killer took the lives of at least four children between 1976 and 1977. All incidents took place in Oakland County, Michigan. According to HowStuffWorks, this killer apparently bathed his victims before terminating them. The FBI believed that he had some wicked form of parental instinct.

In 2012, investigators did manage to construct the killer’s DNA profile. However, that led to nowhere. There is a huge possibility that this criminal is still living among us.

Zodiac killer

According to Britannica, Zodiac killer reportedly murdered 5 people in California from 1968 to 1969. Furthermore, the killer used to send taunting letters to newspapers and regularly called the cops. In 2021, a man named Gary Francis Poste was suspected to be the killer. However, he died in 2018.

A film titled Zodiac was released in 2007. It showcased the manhunt for the Zodiac Killer. It was directed by David Fincher.

According to IMDb, the synopsis of Zodiac reads,

“Between 1968 and 1983, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified individual who terrorizes Northern California with a killing spree.”

Zodiac starred Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., and several others.

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Serial Killers That Were Never Caught: Jack the Ripper, Zodiac Killer & More (2024)

FAQs

Serial Killers That Were Never Caught: Jack the Ripper, Zodiac Killer & More? ›

In history, there are unidentified serial killers everyone knows about, the Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer. But there are also less famous serial killers that haven't been caught, like Charlie Chop-Off, the West Mesa Bone Collector and the Servant Girl Annihilator.

How many unidentified serial killers are there in the US? ›

In the US alone, the FBI estimates there are between 25 to 50 active serial killers at any given time, despite the authorities not being aware of them or connecting the killings together. On a worldwide scale, this estimate is certainly larger, but only a handful of serial killer cases are confirmed to be unsolved.

Why was Jack the Ripper never caught? ›

A key reason that the Ripper was never caught is a simple one – 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.

What serial killer was never caught? ›

The culprit was never caught or identified. In this day and age, his crimes have become a folklore and a source for historical research. Jack the Ripper's mysterious case was covered in detail in a TV series titled Biography. The episode was called Jack the Ripper: Phantom of Death.

Who is America's worst serial killer? ›

Samuel Little
Known forBeing the most prolific serial killer in United States history by number of confirmed victims
Conviction(s)Murder (x8)
Criminal penaltyFour life sentences without the possibility of parole
Details
11 more rows

Could Jack the Ripper exist today? ›

In short, anything's possible. Whilst we now have CCTV, a better understanding of criminal psychology, and DNA profiling technology, there could well be a modern serial killer operating in London, though the chances of them getting caught are much higher than they were in 1888.

Why was the zodiac killer never found? ›

Multiple reasons, including: The killer known as Zodiac may have been several individuals and not a single one - If the police were looking for one person, if/when the killings were committed by several, then likelihood of catching ANYONE would be greatly reduced.

Was the Zodiac killer ever found? ›

Though "the Zodiac" was never caught and the official investigation remains open, public interest has remained high. Countless theories have gained traction over the years, pointing a finger at various men who share physical markers or specific interests with the famed killer.

How many murderers are never found? ›

In the United States, at least 1/3 of all killers are never “caught” - Many cases are simply “cleared” (the killer is known, but cannot be prosecuted for some reason) or the remains are found well after the person was killed, making the discovery of the killer difficult, if not impossible.

How many killers walk among US? ›

That's 200 people per day times 365 days per year times 60 years, which comes out to 780,000. Which means, using our rate of . 00005 murderers per 100,000 people, we would encounter 39 in our lifetime. Many of the 780,000 will be people we walk past again and again.

Which state has the most serial killers? ›

Serial Killers, State by State

It's worth noting that while these crimes evoke shock and horror, they constitute less than 1% of total homicides. Key findings from the data include: New York tops the list with 18 recorded serial killers, followed by California, which recorded 15 known serial killers.

How many serial killers are there in the US all time? ›

While the exact count of serial killers in US history varies greatly by source (3,204 in the SKIC, 763 and counting on the crowd-sourced Wikipedia), it is invariably many times higher than that of even the second-highest country (England with 166 in the SKIC, Russia with 184 on Wiki).

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