Shockingly, they've found some 335 cases considered suspicious enough to be linked with the potential Smiley Face Killers. Those that believe the serial killer theory also point to things like a similarity in decomposition rates and the presence of a drug called GHB, detected in many of the autopsies.

They believe the deaths are linked by the presence of smiley face graffiti, marking victims as having been targeted by a gang - likely, for their perceived, privileged status. The latter is the theory of former NYPD detective Anthony Duarte, retired Boston detective Kevin Gannon, and professor of criminal justice Lee Gilbertson. Why wasn't the trend of missing DNA evidence discovered sooner? Because, the Illinois State Forensic Labs are, in some cases, 30 years behind in analyzing evidence from certain cases. In late 2020, investigators had turned up a slew of non-matching DNA samples in the cases, but stressed (via Northwestern Medill) that the fact there was no DNA in the overwhelming majority of murders pointed toward the likelihood that this was one very careful, very intelligent killer. By the time law enforcement put together a task force to treat the murders as connected, at least four more potentially connected victims had been discovered. And it wasn't just Williams: police believe she is one of 51 Chicago women who have been the victim of a serial killer operating in the city since 2001.Īccording to The Chicago Tribune, the victim count may be 55, 75, or higher. Her body was discovered on June 12, 2002, bearing defensive wounds and signs - like skin under her nails - that showed she'd tried to fight off whoever had killed her. The good news is that there is hope we'll see justice for the victims and their families, so let's talk about some of the most prolific serial killers still out there.

He started killing in 1976, and was only identified and arrested in 2018. Take the Golden State Killer, a serial killer linked to crimes that spanned decades. History and research show that a violent offender will likely repeat.'Īdvances in DNA technology mean that there is a chance that some of these offenders will be caught. all unsolved homicides potentially have offenders who have never been apprehended. That's going up all the time, and law enforcement estimates there's going to be about another 6,000 added to that number every year. It's a huge deal: according to Tom McAndrew, a former Pennsylvania State Trooper, '.

They estimate that across the US, there's somewhere around 250,000 unsolved murder cases that are still open. The rest went unsolved, and that's all contributing to an ever-growing number of cold cases. According to the US Department of Justice, the closure rate on 2017 murder cases was only at 62 percent.

Active serial killers in the us 2017