Serial Killers Who Have Never Been Caught

Most serial killers get caught, either in the act, or after the fact, thanks to a thorough investigation by law enforcement. While most do end up being caught, there are many serial killers that never get caught. From the famous Zodiac Killer, (no, not Ted Cruz), Jack the Ripper in London, his copycat Jack the Stripper, and many more. These aren't cases of strange disappearances, we know these were murders, we just don't know the culprit. Here are ten serial killers who have never been caught.

Charlie Chop-off

Charlie Chop-off was an American serial killer, active in Manhattan, in the mid-1970s. Charlie killed five black children and left a sixth for dead. Ole Chop-off earned his nickname from his method of genital mutilation on his male victims.

Charlie's method of killing was stabbing, shanking some of his victims as many as 38 times. While Erno Soto was arrested and charged with these murders, he was deemed unfit to stand trial and was sentenced to Manhattan State Hospital.

Many believe that Soto is Charlie Chop-off since the murders stopped after his admittance to the hospital. Soto did admit to the slaying of Steven Cropper, the last of Charlie's murders, but hospital officials maintain Soto was under their care at the time of the murder, although he was known to get out from time to time.

Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer, arguably the most prominent American serial killer, operated in California in the late 60s into the 70s. The Zodiac Killer committed his murders in Northern California. While the Zodiac Killer is credited with seven murders, rumors have that he could have up to 37 deaths on his record.

Of those seven confirmed Zodiac kills, four were men, three women, between the ages of 16-29. The name "Zodiac" originated with the way the killer would send letters and threats to local newspapers. The letters included four cryptograms, or ciphers, only one of which has been deciphered.

The plight of the Zodiac Killer has been profiled in many books, and filmmaker David Fincher (Se7en, Gone Girl) directed 2007 hit Zodiac. And despite many rumors and theories, Ted Cruz is not the Zodiac Killer.

There has been no conclusive evidence brought forward towards the Zodiac Killer and the San Francisco Police Department closed the case in May 2004 but reopened it before March 2007.

Jack The Ripper

Jack the Ripper roamed the streets of the Whitechapel district of London, a largely impoverished region, in 1888. Jack the Ripper's trademark was slicing the throat of prostitutes in London's East End. Prior to slicing his victims throats, Jack would mutilate the abdominal region and remove the organs of at least three of his victims. This act led to many around London to believe that Jack the Ripper had some anatomical or surgical background.

The name, Jack the Ripper, originated in a letter written by someone claiming to be the killer. The letter was distributed throughout the media and many believed the letter to be a hoax written by journalists to gain recognition for their papers and to increase readership. This case is another one that remains unsolved and Jack the Ripper is one of the most famous serial killers who have never been caught.

The Honolulu Strangler

The Honolulu Strangler is considered Hawaii's first serial killer. Active between 1985-86, the Strangler killed five women. There was one suspect brought into custody but no witnesses were willing to step forward and identify him so law enforcement was forced to release the suspect.

The Babysitter

The Babysitter, also known as the Oakland County Child Killer, murdered at least four children, two boys, and two girls. The Babysitter operated from February 1976 to March 1977, in Oakland County, Michigan. Over these 13 months the Babysitter kidnapped these four children and their bodies were found throughout Oakland County.

Jack the Stripper

80 years after Jack the Ripper terrified London, Jack the Stripper went after victims in a similar manner. Jack the Stripper earned his name due to the similarities between his style of kill and Jack the Rippers. The plight of Jack the Stripper became known as the "nude murders."

Jack the Stripper killed six to eight prostitutes, whose bodies were found throughout London and some in the River Thames. All forensic evidence related to the case has either been lost or destroyed, and just like his inspiration, add Jack the Stripper to the list of serial killers who have never been caught.

The Doodler

The Doodler, also known as the Black Doodler, is responsible for killing 14 gay men and assaulting three others in the San Francisco community, between January 1974 and September 1975. The murderer met his victims at gay clubs and hotspots throughout the community. The Doodler would stab his victims in the front and back of their bodies and police believe that the deaths occurred near the place of discovery.

The Doodler earned his nickname due to his habit of sketching his victims prior to their sexual encounters. The case was unable to move forward after the three surviving victims of the Doodler refused to testify, out of fear of outing themselves to the public.

Beer Man

Beer Man plagued India, killing six men, in south Mumbai between October 2006 and January 2007. The only link between the deaths was beer bottles found at each scene. In January 2008, Ravindra Kantrole was convicted of a seventh murder, of a homeless man, and charged with two of the six Beer Man killings. Kantrole was cleared of the two Beer Man murders leaving those six murders unsolved, leaving him to be another one of these serial killers that have never been caught.

Delphine LaLaurie

The only woman to make this list, though hardly the only female serial killer, Delphine LaLaurie, a Louisiana socialite, commonly known as Madame LaLaurie, was known for torturing and killing slaves. LaLaurie married her third husband Louis LaLaurie and immediately moved into his estate and took control of his slaves.

On April 10, 1834, a massive fire at the LaLaurie estate revealed Delphine's torture chamber where she kept the slaves. Rescuers found a 70-year-old black woman trapped in the kitchen because she was chained while Madame LaLaurie tried to save her possessions. The 70-year-old revealed that she started the fire in an attempt to free herself from LaLaurie's clutches.

Harriet Martineau, writing in 1836, tried to reveal some of LaLaurie's atrocities, recounting tales told her by the New Orleans residents. Martineau claimed that a neighbor saw one of LaLaurie's slaves, a 12-year-old girl, fall to her death, off the roof of the estate.

Law enforcement only levied fines against LaLaurie and she was never arrested or charged with murder. Madame LaLaurie fled to France after the fire at her estate. While the circumstances surrounding her death are unclear, according to the French archives of Paris, LaLaurie died December 7, 1849.

Long Island Serial Killer

The Long Island Serial Killer is an unidentified American serial killer, who is believed to have murdered 10 to 17 people associated with the sex trade over the course of 20 years. The bodies would be dumped along the Ocean Parkway, near the prominent beach towns of Long Island.

The first body left by the Long Island Serial Killer, also known as the Craigslist Ripper, was found in 1996, and bodies have been found as recently as 2013.

There are rumors that the Craigslist Ripper is not just one serial killer but there could be multiple murderers working on Long Island, but police believe there is a singular killer. There are also rumors that the Long Island Serial Killer has a close connection to law enforcement, which is why he's been able to avoid being caught for all these years.

There has been no speculation in the media as to who the killer(s) might be, making the Long Island Serial Killers serial killers who have never been caught.