This is a list of ten cold-blooded killers that sparked terror in the heart of their communities . . . and were never caught.
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Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was the name given to an unknown killer who terrorized the London East Side slums between 1888 and 1891. The total number of victims is uncertain, but at least five are ascribed to him. They were women, prostitutes, working in or around Whitechapel district. Although several suspects were considered, no one was charged.
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Zodiac
The Zodiac was a killer active in California during the 1960s and 1970s. He communicated with police and the press, taking responsibility for the murders. He demanded that the papers publish a cryptogram, which supposedly contained his identity. Only one part of the puzzle has been solved. Police agree on 7 murders that can be attributed to him, but the Zodiac himself claimed 37.
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Charlie Chop-off
Charlie Chop-off was a serial killer in New York during the early 1970s. His victims were six black youths, who were stabbed and had their genitals mutilated. Erno Soto, a patient at a mental institution, was arrested and confessed to one of the murders. The only surviving victim said that Soto resembled his attacker, but refused to positively identify him. Soto was never convicted.
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The Cleveland Torso Murderer
The Cleveland area saw a spree of murders in the 1930s which have been attributed to a single killer. At least 12 victims have been confirmed, although there may be up to 20. The victims were lower-class men and women. They were decapitated, and dismembered in many instances. No one has been convicted.
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The Original Night Stalker
The Original Night Stalker is the name given to a serial killer and rapist operating in California during the 1970s and 1980s. At least 45 rapes and 12 murders have been attributed to him. At first he targeted women living alone or with children, but later he started attacking couples. No one has been brought to trial for these crimes yet, but the FBI is still investigating the case.
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Delphine LaLaurie
Delphine LaLaurie was a member of the high society of New Orleans who lived from 1780 to 1849. In 1834, authorities responded to a fire in the LaLaurie mansion. Upon entering, they found evidence of torture and mutilation of several of the household slaves. Enraged, people from New Orleans attacked the mansion, but LaLaurie fled to France and was never brought to justice.
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Highway of Tears Killer
The Highway of Tears murders are killings and disappearances that happened in or around a 450 mile span of Highway 16 in British Columbia, Canada. The first victim was discovered in 1969, and the latest case is from 2011. The victims are young women, from the ages of 12 to 33, many of them hitchhikers. The number of murders ranges from 19 to more than 40. Several suspects have been investigated. One of them, Cody Legebokoff, was convicted for one of the murders, but most of the cases remain unsolved.
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Honolulu Strangler
This unknown serial killer, nicknamed the Honolulu Strangler, was active in Hawaii between 1985 and 1986. He sexually assaulted and strangled five women during this time, and has yet to be caught.
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Stoneman
The Stoneman killer was active in Calcutta, India in the late 1980s. His victims were homeless people, whom he killed in their sleep by dropping heavy stones or concrete slabs onto their heads. There is no evidence linking the murders to any suspect, and they remain unsolved. The killer is also possibly associated to similar earlier crimes in Bombay.
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The Hammersmith Murderer
The Hammersmith murderer operated in London during the early 1960s. He targeted female prostitutes, and is linked to at least 8 victims. Several suspects were closely investigated, but no one has been convicted.
