In 2019, the FBI officially designated Samuel Little as the most prolific serial killer in the history of the United States. Though he confessed to 93 murders committed between 1970 and 2005, he evaded detection for decades by targeting vulnerable women whose deaths were often misattributed to natural causes or accidents. Little's nomadic lifestyle and the lack of communication between different police jurisdictions allowed his violent spree to span 19 states. His crimes were eventually uncovered through DNA evidence and hundreds of hours of interviews conducted while he was in prison for other offenses. This overview examines how systemic failures and the social marginalization of his victims permitted such a high body count to go unnoticed for so long. Even after his death in 2020, investigators continue to use his detailed sketches and confessions to provide closure for dozens of cold cases.

This episode includes AI-generated content.