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10 Terrifying Cannibal Serial Killers

Be warned, these are absolutely the most twisted cannibal serial killers that have ever walked on the earth. Hope you have an appetite for... facts. Not flesh—facts.

By James FangsPublished 6 years ago 8 min read
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We all know how terrifying serial killers are and their concepts of killing. While some of us know the more well-known and notorious serial killers that once lived, how do we know there aren't some currently out there? Many of the serial killers look like average people who we would've never believed had corrupt minds. This basically goes to show that the most average looking human can be the most brutal serial killer ever.

What's even worse is that some of the horrible serial killers out there are also cannibals. Now this puts the cherry on top of the sundae, because serial killers who are also cannibals are easily the worst and most disgusting humans to ever walk on this earth. Their tendencies to just feast on certain human body parts is beyond what we can comprehend. For some reason, if you're curious to check out some of the absolute insane, disgusting, and morally wrong individuals who've not only went on killing sprees, but ate pieces of their victims, these are the most terrifying cannibal serial killers that once lived on the same planet as us.

Albert Fish

Hamilton Howard “Albert” Fish was an American serial killer. However, he was mainly known as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac, and The Boogey Man. Yes, this twisted man had multiple names for the disgusting crimes he’s committed. As a child rapist and a cannibal, he actually boasted that he “had children in every state.”

Fish was a suspect in at least five murders during his lifetime. Yes… just five, out of the 100 that he’s counted. He confessed to three murders that police were able to trace to a known homicide. Fish also confessed to stabbing at least two other people. However, his biggest trial was for the kidnapping and murder of Grace Budd. After kidnapping her, he strangled her to death, chopped her up, and ate her body within just nine days. He was executed by the electric chair in 1936.

Joachim Kroll

Joachim Georg Kroll is definitely one of the worst cannibal serial killers that’s ever lived. As a German serial killer, child molester, and a cannibal, he was known as the Ruhr Cannibal, Ruhr Hunter, and the Duisburg Man-Eater. Kroll was actually convicted of eight murders, yet confessed to a total of 14, which he committed in and around the Ruhr metropolitan region.

Kroll was certainly not the smartest serial killer around, with a fairly low IQ. He found cannibalizing young children to be the most satisfying meals he’s ever had. After murdering a four-year-old girl, the neighbors were curious why the waste pipe was clogged. And when one neighbor asked Kroll if he knew what was stopping the pipes, he replied with, “guts.” The pipes were blocked up by the young girl’s intestines.

Arthur Shawcross

Known as the Genesee River Killer, Arthur John Shawcross was an American serial killer who was active in Rochester, New York. He first started murdering in 1972 where he killed a young boy and a girl right in his hometown of Watertown, New York. He plead guilty to one charge of manslaughter and served 12 years of a 25-year sentence. Then he started killing more victims in 1988 and 1989 after being paroled early which led to criticism of the justice system.

As a deranged murderer, he killed a total of 14 people. He would be convicted of killing ten prostitutes. Shawcross mutilated their bodies senselessly and claimed to have first cannibalized during the Vietnam War.

Jeffrey Dahmer

Easily one of the most twisted and infamous cannibal serial killers in history—Jeffrey Dahmer. Most of us know the story of Dahmer and his inhuman ways. Known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, he was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, murdered, and dismembered 17 men and boys between the years of 1978 and 1991. And many of his acts included necrophilia, cannibalism, and permanent preservation of body parts. He was actually diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and a psychotic disorder.

Dahmer would usually lure young boys into his apartment, drug them before strangling them, and having sex with their corpses. Then he would dismember their bodies and sometimes eat them. If not, he’d store their parts in barrels and in his freezer. When the police arrived at his apartment, they discovered dismembered body parts everywhere, skeleton furniture, nude photos, deceased men, and a ton of body parts in the fridge. After being immediately arrested and sent to prison, Dahmer was murdered by one of his prison mates.

Ottis Toole

American drifter and serial killer Ottis Elwood Toole was convicted of six counts of murder. Accompanied by Henry Lee Lucas, the two twisted killers combined their confessions of hundreds of victims. It was pointed out that throughout Toole’s killing spree, he enjoyed eating the ribs of his victims and drinking their blood. And this was something that Lucas disapproved of later.

While the two were together, it was stated by Lucas that Toole would take his victims and cook them over a barbecue. From this, Lucas recounted that he “wasn’t a cannibal because he didn’t like the taste of Toole’s BBQ sauce.” But aside from that, Toole received two death sentences. He died in his cell from cirrhosis at the age of 49.

Robert Maudsley

From the terrifying cannibal serial killers that once lived, British serial killer Robert John Maudsley was responsible for murdering four people. He only murdered one person outside of prison and three within his time in prison. However, his main focus were pedophiles—and this made others wonder if the treatment he received is actually justice. He was once picked up by a pedophile himself who showed him the rape and abuse that he had done to previous child victims. Then Maudsley strangled his would-be attacker to death and later became nicknamed “Blue” from the color of his victim’s face.

However, he was alleged for eating the brain of one of three men he killed in prison—with a spoon. After that incident, he was nicknamed “Hannibal the Cannibal” from the British press.

Tamara Samsonova

Who would’ve thought that this sweet little old lady would be among the most disgusting and twisted cannibal serial killers ever? No one, actually. Russian-born serial killer Tamara Mitrafanovna Samsonova was arrested in 2015 for the suspected murder of her life-long friend Valentina Ulanova. She was captured by a closed-circuit camera which showed her transporting body parts into a black plastic bag. Shortly afterward, the police discovered Ulanova’s body that had been left in a river after being decapitated.

Later on, investigators realized that she murdered at least 11 people, and possibly many more. There’s also the possibility of Samsonova eating parts of her victims after dismembering their body. And the most disturbing part of it all is that she recorded every single one of her murders in her diary in great detail, which was later found by the police. There are reports that Samsonova possibly suffered from schizophrenia.

Peter Bryan

As for the lesser-known cannibal murderer, Peter Bryan is an English serial killer who committed a total of three murders between 1993 and 2004. He wasn’t much of an evil person, but was clinically insane and suffered from schizophrenia. In 1993, Bryan killed a young shopkeeper, Nisha Sheth, by beating her to death with just a hammer.

After his confession, Bryan would be admitted to Broadmoor Hospital, which was where Robert Maudsley also stayed. After several years under psychiatric care, the doctors decided to let Bryan go, yet under the terms of extended supervision. During this period of time, Bryan killed, cooked, and ate his friend Brian Cherry. When the officers caught Bryan, he was frying Cherry’s brain in a pan… with butter. He later told the police, “I ate his brain with butter. It was really nice.”

Ed Gein

Known as The Butcher of Plainfield, Edward Theodore Gein is definitely among the deranged cannibal serial killers ever. He was an American murderer and body snatcher. He was seen as a shy, quiet old man who simply lived on a farm. Yet, he had some serious issues with his mother, women in general actually. And these issues eventually led him to killing. Even though he confessed to two murders, Gein was only convicted of one.

Believe it or not, Gein’s crimes soon inspired one of the most iconic horror films ever, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where he was the real-life Leatherface. Gein killed two women and wore their skin as masks. He also possessed trophies of female vulvae and made decorations out of human flesh. After being sent to a psychiatric institute, he later died from cancer.

Andrei Chikatilo

Finally, from the all-time insane cannibal serial killers in the world is Andrei Chikatilo. A Soviet serial killer nicknamed the Butcher of Rostov, the Red Ripper, and the Rostov Ripper, he committed sexual assault, murder, and mutilation of at least 52 women and children within the years of 1978 and 1990. As for one of the most brutal serial killers ever, Chikatilo was an unusual serial killer who was actually driven by immense rage from his lifelong inability to perform sexual acts. He’d actually express his lust and sexual desires through rape, torture, and violence.

Chikatilo met with 17-year-old Larisa Tkachenko outside at a public library in 1981. There, he strangled her to death before biting off one of her nipples and violated her corpse. He also dismembered several of his victims and often removed women’s uteruses and nipples where he found a fondness to chew on them. He was executed in 1994 by a gunshot to the back of his ear.

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About the Creator

James Fangs

Part vampire, part human — I can make Edward Cullen cry. I also have a collection every horror film DVD under my bed.

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