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.
