Pedro Lopez, known as The Monster of the Andes, infamously killed over 110 people, mainly young women. In 1980, Lopez earned the “Monster of the Andes” title, leading police to 53 victims’ graves in Ecuador.
Reports suggest Lopez began his killing spree after a traumatic incident during his incarceration. Authorities arrested Lopez in 1969 for auto theft, and he received a seven-year prison sentence. Three inmates brutally gang-raped him while he was in prison. Days later, López sought out the inmates and retaliated by killing them. Authorities ruled the killings as self-defense and added two years to his sentence.
After his release, Lopez started his crime spree and began raping and murdering younger girls from across Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Authorities arrested the serial killer when he attempted to abduct a 12-year-old girl. During the interrogation, police obtained Pedro Lopez’s confession to his crimes, leading to his murder conviction. The court sentenced him to the maximum prison term of 16 years available in Ecuador at the time. López served his prison sentence at the Garcia Moreno prison near Quito and was released two years early in 1994; he is still at large. Let’s dig a little deeper to know the kind of crimes he committed and where is he now.
Pedro Lopez was sentenced to 16 years but was released early
Born on October 8, 1948, Lopez had a troubled childhood and endured a lot of abuse. It played an important part in turning him into a monster and fostering an intense hatred for his mother. He began his killing spree in Peru where he began kidnapping and killing young girls. He later claimed that, during this period, he killed over 100 girls, mainly street children from indigenous tribes. Pedro Lopez additionally claimed that he murdered more than 100 girls in Peru, earning him the name ‘Monster of the Andes’. Authorities eventually took him into custody, but instead of arresting him, they deported him from Peru.
Considered one of the most prolific serial killers in the world, Lopez didn’t stop his killing spree in Peru; he started committing crimes in Ecuador and Colombia. While trying to abduct a 12-year-old girl in Ecuador, local merchants caught him and gave him to the police. He confessed his crimes to the police and described how he raped and killed his victims. Reportedly, Pedro Lopez lured the victims away from public spaces with a trinket before raping and strangling them with his bare hands. Although he said that he murdered hundreds of women, reports indicate that he murdered more than 300 people in his life.
In 1980, authorities convicted him of murder and sentenced him to 16 years in prison. Authorities released him in 1994 for good behavior and deported him to Colombia. Upon reaching Colombia, authorities took Lopez into custody for being an illegal immigrant. However, authorities were unable to form a case against him, and instead, they declared him insane. The police admitted him to a mental institution.
In 1998, Lopez was declared sane and was released on bail. Reports suggest that Pedro Lopez’s last sighting was in December 1999. Authorities deactivated his Interpol warrant in 2005, but he still remains a fugitive. His current whereabouts are unknown.
