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Unreported Serial Killers On The Loose


Clarakore

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I have heard others make accusations of serial killers, solo, couples, and groups, who are on the loose but for some reason the authorities ignore the links or know them but hide them from the general public. Is this true?

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i always wanted to make serial killer trading cards (but i didnt want to give them reward for killing someone so)

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My first thought is that the 'authorities' could keep a serial killer story quiet at first, to stop spreading fear in a community, increase the chances of capture and remove the killers 'buzz' from any media attention. This would be similar to what you mention but probably a different reasoning behind it.

My second thought would be the opposite, if a serial killing spree is suspected the more who know the better, for safety and increasing the chances of capture. This leads me to take a similar stance to QuiteContrary on this one.

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i always wanted to make serial killer trading cards (but i didnt want to give them reward for killing someone so)

..

http://www.satanssideshow.com/presentation/home/home.cfm

He makes shirts dolls clocks boxer shorts ,of every famous serial killer you can think of .I used to buy full sets for my ex.

Like ed gein boxers, tee shirt,and wall clock .

He even has Albert fish .

Check out the stuff he collects personally . I think there's a page for it .

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I have heard others make accusations of serial killers, solo, couples, and groups, who are on the loose but for some reason the authorities ignore the links or know them but hide them from the general public. Is this true?

Going solely by what I've seen on TV from shows like Criminal Minds, the authorities don't tell the press/the public everything they know about potential/full blown Serial Killers because of copy-cats, false reports and they like to catch them out by pulling a "Columbo" and getting them to reveal something that only the killer could have known.

So they do keep quiet on serial killers, but only in order to catch serial killers.

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It stands to reason,there are instances where there are multiple patterned killings,that may even span states ,that the public isn't privey to,because its not a localized cluster ,but the FBI has connected the dots,and local law enforcement in each area,is aware,but the public has no knowledge .

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The individual murders are usually reported in the news but if they are going on a killing spree across different states the connection may not be talked about. At least not in the beginning until they get a composite of how the perpertrator might look. Then they might want to run that picture everywhere to find out if someone recognizes them.

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The individual murders are usually reported in the news but if they are going on a killing spree across different states the connection may not be talked about. At least not in the beginning until they get a composite of how the perpertrator might look. Then they might want to run that picture everywhere to find out if someone recognizes them.

Exactly, how the perpretrator 'might look'. Hopefully, it's fairly accurate because people might notice, if someone they know, drastically changes their appearance. If it's inaccurate however, the bad guy still gets to go about his business and the police are chasing a red herring.

Interview with a police sketch artist:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1186754/Call-likeness--criminal-Just-accurate-artists-sketches-suspects.html

Edited by Likely Guy
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Sorry, I forgot to address the OP.

While I do agree with the points made with Jr. Chubb and Wearer of Hats, there are cases where investigators simply fail to connect the dots (the reasons though, are probably many).

The two that immediately come to mind for me are the "Missing Women's Case" here, in British Columbia. Robert Pickton was convicted in 6 cases, but he was certainly responsible for many more. 49 missing women in total, in the Greater Vancouver area, over about 20 years.

The other case is closer to home the "Highway of Tears" here in central B.C. So far, no suspect has been identified. There are, at least 18 official victims.

Here's a site that mentions both cases, as well as a failure to 'connect the dots'. (scroll down until you get to "Statement issued by Assistant Commissioner Craig Callens":

http://www.highwayoftears.ca/NEWS-Starting%20Oct-2011.htm#Statement_issued_by_Assistant_Commissioner_Craig_Callens,_Commanding_Officer_of_E_Division_January_27,_2012

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I have heard others make accusations of serial killers, solo, couples, and groups, who are on the loose but for some reason the authorities ignore the links or know them but hide them from the general public. Is this true?

Imo, Since this was posted under "Urban Legends" and not "True Crime", I assumed the OP was referring to some conspiratorial, untoward behavior of law enforcement to "ignore" links and "hide" killers from the public.

Not when law enforcement withholds specific evidence (but not the murders) for reasons to help catch the killer.

To let some killers run around, ignored, on purpose and orchestrated/conspired by multiple law enforcement personnel doesn't happen and belongs in a discussion under "Urban Legends".

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Imo, Since this was posted under "Urban Legends" and not "True Crime", I assumed the OP was referring to some conspiratorial, untoward behavior of law enforcement to "ignore" links and "hide" killers from the public.

Not when law enforcement withholds specific evidence (but not the murders) for reasons to help catch the killer.

To let some killers run around, ignored, on purpose and orchestrated/conspired by multiple law enforcement personnel doesn't happen and belongs in a discussion under "Urban Legends".

I was not referring to a conspiratorial, untoward behavior of law enforcement per se just that for some reason law enforcement chooses not to disclose to the public which might involve ignoring and hiding links but nothing like you have described as a conspiracy. Still if someone believes this I would not mind hearing their theory.

Law enforcement withholding specific evidence for reasons to help catch the killer is exactly the angle I was going for.

I chose urban legends over the true crime forum because people here are usually more imaginative, would allow for more theories to be discussed, and there would be less posts attempting to pigeon hole everyone else into one unified theory which makes for poor discussion.

Also it is an urban legend I have heard some "psychics" hint at this including some who visit these forums. Now I don't really believe them but they might have a point and it is disturbing to think that serial killers are out there. That uncertainty definitely puts this topic here.

Edited by Chasingtherabbit
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i always wanted to make serial killer trading cards (but i didnt want to give them reward for killing someone so)

They exist already, apparently pretty popular too.

serialkillers.jpg

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I was not referring to a conspiratorial, untoward behavior of law enforcement per se just that for some reason law enforcement chooses not to disclose to the public which might involve ignoring and hiding links but nothing like you have described as a conspiracy. Still if someone believes this I would not mind hearing their theory.

Law enforcement withholding specific evidence for reasons to help catch the killer is exactly the angle I was going for.

I chose urban legends over the true crime forum because people here are usually more imaginative, would allow for more theories to be discussed, and there would be less posts attempting to pigeon hole everyone else into one unified theory which makes for poor discussion.

Also it is an urban legend I have heard some "psychics" hint at this including some who visit these forums. Now I don't really believe them but they might have a point and it is disturbing to think that serial killers are out there. That uncertainty definitely puts this topic here.

Thanks. I could only assume another possibility without more information. My bad.

Edited by QuiteContrary
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On television and the silver screen, serial killers are usually white males and dysfunctional loners who really want to get caught. Or, they’re super-intelligent monsters who frustrate law enforcement at every turn.

According to a new publication from our National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime—entitled Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators—serial killers are much different in real life.

The report contains the collective insights of a group of experts from the law enforcement, academic, and mental health professions who took part in a symposium on serial murder. The symposium’s focus was actually two-fold: to bridge the gap between fact and fiction and to build up our collective body of knowledge to generate a more effective investigative response.

Here’s why that is so important: Serial killings are rare, probably less than one percent of all murders. They do, however, receive a lot of attention in the news and on screen—and much of the information out there is wrong. Yet, the public, the media, and even sometimes law enforcement professionals who have limited experience with serial murder, often believe what they read and hear. And this misinformation can hinder investigations.

According to the experts, there is no common thread tying serial killers together—no single cause, no single motive, no single profile. But there are some common "best practices" that they recommend for investigations:

For example:

  • Strong leadership throughout the chain of command that can withstand the external pressure sometimes brought to bear on serial murder cases by politicians, the victims' families, and the media;
  • Task forces that bring together agencies from the different jurisdictions to effectively combine expertise, resources, and information;
  • An automated case management system like the FBI’s Rapid Start that organizes and collates lead information so investigators don't get overwhelmed;
  • A team of crime analysts who can help investigators develop timelines of murders and backgrounds on suspects, highlight similar case elements, etc. (note: if your agency doesn't have such a team, ask for help from a neighboring jurisdiction or from our National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime);
  • Consistent forensic services, which in the best case scenario means that the same crime scene team goes to each scene and the same crime lab processes all the evidence (but if that's not possible, then enhanced communication between the teams and the labs is a must to ensure consistency); and
  • A strong media plan that successfully straddles the line between giving out relevant information to the media and not compromising the investigation—while helping to raise public awareness about the killings.

As for serial killer myths, our group of experts had this to say about a few of them:

1) Serial killers are not all dysfunctional loners: some have had wives and kids and full-time jobs and have been very active in their community or church or both.

2) Serial killers are not all white males: the racial diversification of serial killers generally mirrors the overall U.S. population.

3) Serial killers do not want to get caught: over time, as they kill without being discovered, they get careless during their crimes.

So much for the stereotypes!

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/july/serialmurder_070708

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I imagine the idea is more of an urban legend. There is an urban legend around here that there's a serial killer that has been killing hookers for the past 15 years and the cops don't know it is. Knowing several local police officers, however, I have come to learn that there is no truth to the story.

I imagine there are similar stories in other cities as well.

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I have heard others make accusations of serial killers, solo, couples, and groups, who are on the loose but for some reason the authorities ignore the links or know them but hide them from the general public. Is this true?

Imagine you are a cop/lawyer/judge/politician. Would you ignore your local homicidal maniacs? Of course you wouldn't and neither do they. They too have daughters and sons they worry over.

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Okay... my brain just went to a rather dark place... but...

If a person felt like killing a number of people, all they have to do is prey on the homeless in any large city an make sure that they are creative so that nobody notices it is the work of one person.

And that was a dark place I didn't want my brain to go to on the first day back to work after a three day weekend...

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Okay... my brain just went to a rather dark place... but...

If a person felt like killing a number of people, all they have to do is prey on the homeless in any large city an make sure that they are creative so that nobody notices it is the work of one person.

And that was a dark place I didn't want my brain to go to on the first day back to work after a three day weekend...

Homeless people are missed by other homeless people and, usually, by the law and social services. Bad idea, imo. Plus the fact that people who live on the streets tend to fight back... with blades.

:yes:

Edited by Eldorado
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Okay... my brain just went to a rather dark place... but...

If a person felt like killing a number of people, all they have to do is prey on the homeless in any large city an make sure that they are creative so that nobody notices it is the work of one person.

And that was a dark place I didn't want my brain to go to on the first day back to work after a three day weekend...

A homeless guy was murdered in a city near mine. The police were able to catch the killer a couple of days later by checking CCTV cameras in the area.

The urban legend in my state is killers hunt backpackers on the very remote outback highways. Middle of nowhere, and no one to hear you scream. I can think of only one reported case, but the story is a little shaky. The movie Wolf Creek was loosely based on it.

The other cases turned out to be one backpacker would kill the other backpacker and blame it on a maniac that would pull them over on the highways.

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Okay... my brain just went to a rather dark place... but...

If a person felt like killing a number of people, all they have to do is prey on the homeless in any large city an make sure that they are creative so that nobody notices it is the work of one person.

And that was a dark place I didn't want my brain to go to on the first day back to work after a three day weekend...

Thats been done before if Im not mistaken

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I have heard others make accusations of serial killers, solo, couples, and groups, who are on the loose but for some reason the authorities ignore the links or know them but hide them from the general public. Is this true?

I don't know if it's true or not, but it is an interesting take on some urban legends. The crazy killer that takes out hikers, prostitutes, or couples in the woods. Hook or axe man type tales. Bridge lurkers that kill unwary travelers. You would think that if such a killer were on the loose police would inform the public about it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thats been done before if Im not mistaken

Scary.

But to suggest a possible credence to the OP... There was a TV show that went on for years in my youth ("Unsolved Mysteries") that seemed to find unsolved serial killers popping out of the woodwork for nearly a decade, so it's not entirely out of the question for something like that to be true...

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Scary.

But to suggest a possible credence to the OP... There was a TV show that went on for years in my youth ("Unsolved Mysteries") that seemed to find unsolved serial killers popping out of the woodwork for nearly a decade, so it's not entirely out of the question for something like that to be true...

Well, experts estimate that there are anywhere from 50 to 300 serial killers active at any given time, so Unsolved Mysteries may not have been to far off.

Also, just have to say, I loved that show. Not the remake, just the original with Robert Stack. He will always be Ultra Magnus to me...

4043681_std.jpg

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Unreported serial killers, rapeists, stalkers, child molestors, etc. generate a wave of fear to keep the public on edge of possible safety risks, as the suspects remain on the loose can strike again and there's no way to know in preventing another heinous act. It keeps us afraid to the level of paranoia and mass hysteria, and many innocents end up treated like criminals when the real perpretators are at large.

Edited by Quake Storm Maverick 66er
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