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 don't believe the canal thing. I think it's more likely just people falling in by themselves. Which is still very distressing.

A serial killer is not just someone who kills several people (like in the case of someone killing several of his wives), there are several criteria including the fact that they have no connection to the victim.
So it makes them hard to apprehend.
"Normal" murders are easier because of the connection to the victim. If my sister kills me, it won't be long for investigators to find out that she's the beneficiary of my life insurance policy. Gives her a motive.

If John Doe kills me in the park when I'm walking the dog, how would he be caught? DNA, if found on the scene, is hardly helpful for investigation if there's no match on record. It helps prosecution and linking several crime scenes, but a DNA can stay unknown for decades (case file of the Golden State Killer for example, has been caught 40 years later, because his DNA shown up in a genealogical research website, or something like that)

Also, not all DNA has the same value. If you found my killer's DNA on my dog's collar, it doesn't prove the connection to the murder. If my killer's DNA is found under my nails, it gets a bit more serious.

Definitely still around but probably just less common these days due to improved technological resources like cctv, fingerprinting records, shared police databases and things like location records from a phone, which in theory should help stop someone who's committed a murder from committing any more and therefore avoiding the serial killer title, I'm actually curious how many murders is defined as serial killing..simply more than 1 or does it have to be a higher number like 10?

@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.

Yes, this is something that's finally starting to gain mainstream acknowledgement. That there are actually a lot of serial killers who go into the police force or the military (in any country) in order to have access to weapons and the impunity to kill. The amount of Western white men who vocally join the military to go to the middle east "to kill Muslims, ahem, I meant terrorists" is high.

I dont think that definition is correct @FastFood. As I understand it, a serial killer is someone who kills 3 or more people, with spaces between the killings (to distinguish it from spree killing), for motives that are largely about psychological or sexual gratification ie not revenge, or money. They can have connections, even relationships, with some or (rarely) all of their victims.

I think people assume that these days, we have joined-up data between forces... Sadly not always. Things can slip through the cracks.

My theory, for every one criminal that is caught

There will be 20 more who have not been caught

It's probably a lot harder to get away with it nowadays with the DNA testing available than historically, once the DNA comes to someone's attention. I think it's probably a question of whether anyone works out that a number of murders are similar and could be connected. Someone smart could be very careful to choose victims who would be less likely to be missed and unlikely to be connected. I also think that nowadays, technology could be used by evil people to lure others into dangerous situations which would never have happened before and if they're very tech savvy, could do it in a way they know can't be traced back to them.
The other problem is that there's no DNA database, so if a killer hasn't been previously arrested, the police could have a ton of DNA belonging to a killer, but can't link it to anyone.
There'll always be people who get away with it, even if that's down to fluke rather than outwitting the police.

Homeless people go missing every day, they're often not missed , sex workers the same. County lines or gang related deaths are very very difficult when no one will say anything, there isn't CCTV of good quality on every street corner like the daily mail has you believe. They're are also approximately 130,000 victims of modern day slavery in the UK at this time, many wouldn't be missed if they vanished.
I work in the criminal justice system and there are certainly still people who commit multiple murders, and probably many more who haven't been caught.
As entertaining as these shows can be, this is actually reality just maybe not in your world.

I know you probably were referring just to the UK, but there are on average 58 murders a day in South Africa. I imagine in places like that, it's hard to get caught.

Has anyone ever read or looking into the case of the Croydon cat killer? Who was believed to have killed over 500 cats & other animals.
I think the police since dropped the case and said it was foxes or they were killed by cars. But the whole case was very worrying, and it just didn't seem to add up to all being cars or foxes (considering foxes were also amongst the victims).

There's no cctv footage though.

I always thought whoever was responsible for that would go on to become a serial killer though.

It's estimated that America has circa 25-50 serial killer's lurking currently. I studied forensic psychology briefly about twenty years ago and, if my memory serves me correctly, the number then was about 185 at any given time. So, it's gone down considerably.

I'd guestimate that we have 2 or 3.

In the USA it's probably easier than here - less populated and more places to hide bodies where they will never be found.

Plus, do the computer systems of all the state police talk to each other?

Like to think so, but I’m probably wrong.

This guy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynhard_Sinaga?wprov=sfla1

He was a serial rapist, not murderer. My mistake

@covetingthepreciousthings

Has anyone ever read or looking into the case of the Croydon cat killer? Who was believed to have killed over 500 cats & other animals. I think the police since dropped the case and said it was foxes or they were killed by cars. But the whole case was very worrying, and it just didn't seem to add up to all being cars or foxes (considering foxes were also amongst the victims).

There's no cctv footage though.

I always thought whoever was responsible for that would go on to become a serial killer though.

Yes. I agree with you, bloody hell. I also recall a horse attacker a fair few years back.

Peter Tobin jailed 2008 for three murders, but could be responsible for many more.

He was a serial rapist, not murderer. My mistake

That was a horrific case, and he even filmed all or most of them too. So lucky that his last victim managed to escape and call the police otherwise who knows what he'd have gone on to do next.
I was surprised the case never made it to the news until the actual court case had concluded I think,

@HorseOfPhillipMoss

Homeless people go missing every day, they're often not missed , sex workers the same. County lines or gang related deaths are very very difficult when no one will say anything, there isn't CCTV of good quality on every street corner like the daily mail has you believe. They're are also approximately 130,000 victims of modern day slavery in the UK at this time, many wouldn't be missed if they vanished. I work in the criminal justice system and there are certainly still people who commit multiple murders, and probably many more who haven't been caught. As entertaining as these shows can be, this is actually reality just maybe not in your world.

Fair point. I never meant my OP as condoning these abhorrent crimes as entertainment but these shows do make me think. Thank you @HorseOfPhillipMoss you describe a horrific reality.

@StillGoingToWork

He was a serial rapist, not murderer. My mistake

Actually there was a similar murderer (grindr killer) who used the same date rape drugs and “accidentally” murdered a few of his victims by administering a lethal dose.

Actually there was a similar murderer (grindr killer) who used the same date rape drugs and “accidentally” murdered a few of his victims by administering a lethal dose.

I think around 70 of the rapists victims were never identified either so does make you wonder what happened to them all.

@sofiaaaaaa oh I remember the Grindr bloke, didn't he get found out because a man woke up from being drugged and managed to escape and get help?
If I remember correctly the true number of men he killed was never found.

@NeedCoffeeToSurvive I think you're thinking of Rehynard Singar the man who was convicted of 159 sexual assaults.

Although they sound very similar to be fair.