To think that serial killers can’t exist these days?

[Snooks1971]

Or actually get away with murder enough to become a serial killer maybe I should say. Just finished Night Stalker on Netflix, which made me think about this, although I’ve thought along these lines before. Have always been fascinated with Jack The Ripper after visiting Madame Tussaud’s as a young teen (late 40s now).

I haven’t googled any facts and I’m just an armchair observer, but surely with mobile phones, cctv, forensic developments, tech interfaces actually talking to each other this wouldn’t be possible now.

Then I wonder how many serial killers from the past that we have never of who must have got away with it. Makes my mind boggle a bit.

I started out watching this one thinking it was about the golden state killer, joseph d'angelo, he also used to break in to people's houses at night, even if there was a man there, he also used to tie up the men, he also had a very wide age range of victims. Then it revealed it was in fact richard ramirez who i'd never heard of. Couldn't believe there were two with such a similar MO
Those women flirting with RR in the court room, dear god, as a police man said, they would be LUNCH to him.

@StrippedFridge

UK data for 2018/2019 shows that 75,918 children were recorded missing by UK police forces.

I wonder how many runaways end up with a serial killer.

Of course most of those turned up but The UK Missing Persons Unit records that 1,514 children are long-term missing, which means they have been missing for longer than 28 days in England, Wales, and Scotland (data for Northern Ireland isn’t available) and remain unresolved. Cases can remain open for a significant amount of time.

fullfact.org/online/missing-trafficked-children

It is definitely harder now. Imagine being how long it would have taken to manually compare fingerprints before computers and working without DNA evidence.

It would still be possible. Most towns and cities have a homeless and transient population, then there are drug users and prostitutes. Many of those people could go missing for a period of time without being reported. There are many John and Jane Does in the UK, it breaks my heart. You can see a list here if you scroll down www.missingpersons.police.uk/en-gb/case-search/

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar

A horrible thought struck me when the video of George Floyd being murdered first came to light. I thought, looking at the police officer, that he was committing murder as a form of stress relief. He was pissed off with Mr Floyd, didn't care about him as a person and clearly felt that he could get away with what he was doing despite it being filmed. I had the strongest feeling that he was practised in his technique, that he had done it before and that he was enjoying it.

If I was a white male serial killer who didn't much care who I killed so long as could do it regularly, then an American police officer in a racially diverse urban area would be ideal.

I always think this about criminal gangs. If you like killing and injuring people, what better excuse than to join a gang.

@WiseOwlRelaxing

I started out watching this one thinking it was about the golden state killer, joseph d'angelo, he also used to break in to people's houses at night, even if there was a man there, he also used to tie up the men, he also had a very wide age range of victims. Then it revealed it was in fact richard ramirez who i'd never heard of. Couldn't believe there were two with such a similar MO Those women flirting with RR in the court room, dear god, as a police man said, they would be LUNCH to him.

@WiseOwlRelaxing yes I know!! WTF with him wearing sunglasses in the courtroom?! He reminded me of Jim Morrison. And the Jeremy Bamber case (with the female followers).

Steve Wright?
Fred and Rosemary West?
Levi Bellfield?

Levi Bellfield absolutely chills me. What a frightening man.

I think, if you wanted to be a serial killer today, as long as you picked the right vulnerable, down trodden people in society, you'd get away with it for a while. So homeless, runaway boys, sex workers etc.

The game would be up pretty sharpish if you targeted white, young girls.

@Besom

Do have to make the point that the nurse mentioned has been charged and is not yet convicted.

Ah, sorry, my bad.

In that case Lucy Letby is a nurse who has been charged with multiple murders.

www.com/uk-news/2020/nov/12/lucy-letby-nurse-charged-with-murdering-eight-babies-remanded-in-custody

@Bitbusyattheminute

And I'm sure there are theories about a serial killer using the canals in Manchester.

I was just thinking of this. Almost certainly (at least one) serial killer in Manchester pushing young men into canals.

Also in America it is said there are multiple serial killers on the loose at any one time. I am certain we will have at least a couple operating in England now. Sometimes they go many years between killings before escalating and usually getting caught.

I suspect that there are many out there who just haven't even been suspected yet because their victims haven't been missed, or they haven't been associated with the missing person.

I also wonder how many women and children are being kept hidden by abusers - I had never thought of this until that dreadful case some years ago when two little girls starved to death in a dungeon constructed by a Belgian paedophile. He had been arrested and jailed for some driving offence or other, and of course, those poor little girls were just left to die. It was about 25 years ago, but whenever I hear of something like little Madeline McCann (or any missing child), my mind goes straight back to that horror.

I can't remember how it came to light. I'll see if I can find it.

@ShandlersWig

I think, if you wanted to be a serial killer today, as long as you picked the right vulnerable, down trodden people in society, you'd get away with it for a while. So homeless, runaway boys, sex workers etc.

The game would be up pretty sharpish if you targeted white, young girls.

Sadly this is true.

The canal theory has been debunked. To state there are no serial killers in the U.K. though is a very bold statement. Visit missing persons’ pages.

@ShandlersWig

I think, if you wanted to be a serial killer today, as long as you picked the right vulnerable, down trodden people in society, you'd get away with it for a while. So homeless, runaway boys, sex workers etc.

The game would be up pretty sharpish if you targeted white, young girls.

@ShandlersWig agree with you. I just always presumed (wrongly, naively perhaps) that serial killers have a ‘type’. For eg Peter Sutcliffe didn’t target vulnerable boys/men.

Watching Richard Ramirez - it seems anyone was fair game. Age, race, gender...

It wasn't that long ago (10 years maybe) that there was a serial sex attacker attacking women near stations around London. I think it took them 2 years to get him - and it was only after they spotted the pattern and connected the cases. If he'd been more random or chosen victims more likely to "disappear"...

Hmmm. Angel of death at stepping Hill. That nurse whom has been arrested on suspicion of killing all them babies

I’m always sad about the victims of killers, serial or otherwise that have never been reported missing. Imagine not being meaningful enough to anyone such that absolutely nobody notices you aren’t there.

This is the case I was thinking of.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux

Look up Robert Picton in Vancouver. He was only fairly recently caught and got away with it for years and killed over 100 women. If you choose vulnerable victims, then you can get away with it. But yes, you would hope that it would become harder to get away with such crimes, esp if a criminal DNA library is established.

There are undoubtedly many serial killers out there that haven't been caught unfortunately.

I'm obsessed with this kind of subject

Many have been caught due to mistakes made rather than anything else.

The scary thing about serial killers is that most of them are psychopaths who feel no remorse or empathy but are incredibly talented at mimicking social cues and behaviours to fit in, so you'd never suspect them. Look at Ted Bundy or Harold Shipman.

I think there will always be serial killers.

The nurse recently.
The mysterious deaths of the elderly couples in Greater Manchester.
The canal pusher.

Police do not like to admit mistakes and bungle things up - just look at the deleted data fiasco that’s just happened thousands and thousands of arrest data, finger prints and forensic evidence deleted.

I wouldn’t be surprised if sex workers were regularly killed up and down the country and they didn’t connect the dots because they were ‘just sex workers’ - look how they treated the girls of the grooming gangs - they minimise it and deny it is still happening.

YABU. There absolutely are, and I’m sure there are more getting away with it that we don’t know about.

Technology is definitely not a cure-all for every social ill.

I’m sure they exist but definitely to a lesser extent. I just can’t believe people would even think they can get away with murder in this day in age with DNA and CCTV everywhere.

Thanks for the heads up on the Richard Ramirez programme, I assumed it was the same Golden state killer so wasn't going to bother.
Slightly disturbed by my thrill of finding a new SK programme to watch.
What makes the so fascinating???

Some crime shows give criminals lots of information about how to avoid being caught.