Random Most Prolific American Serial Killers (41 items)

(#26) Orville Lynn Majors
- 62
Orville Lynn Majors may have only been convicted of six murders in 1997 after a 2 year crime spree, but the Indiana nurse may have been linked to up to 130 deaths. He was sentenced to 360 years in prison.
(#12) Patrick Kearney
- 84
Patrick Kearney, "The Trash Bag Killer," murdered between 21 and 43 young men. He'd pick his victims up from gay bars or as hitchhikers before raping and murdering them. He killed from 1965 until he was caught in 1977. He was sentenced to life in prison in California.
(#14) Raymond Martinez Fernandez
Raymond Fernandez may have killed 20 women while on a crime spree in 1947-1949. He and his accomplice Martha Beck found victims in lonely hearts ads. However, when they were caught in 1949, they were only tried for one murder. Both Fernandez and Beck were sent to the electric chair.
(#5) John Wayne Gacy
- Dec. at 52 (1942-1994)
John Wayne Gacy was best known as "The Killer Clown" because of his career as a professional clown entertainer. However, it was his rape and murder of at least 33 young men that earned him infamy. In Chicago, Gacy strangled his victims and then buried the bodies on or around his property. He was apprehended in 1978, sentenced to death, and executed by lethal injection in 1994.
(#38) Anthony Sowell
- 64
From 2007 to 2009, Anthony Sowell kidnapped, raped, and strangled 11 women. The bodies of the women were discovered in his home in 2009. He received the death penalty.
(#1) Samuel Little

Samuel Little started serving three life sentences in 2014 after being found guilty of murdering three women in Southern California between 1987 and 1989. After his initial conviction, authorities found evidence that suggested he operated in over nine states.

In November 2018, Little confessed to over 90 murders, some going as far back as the '60s. Little was able to recall significant details about his victims, which authorities believe he picked up in 14 different states. Initially, investigators confirmed roughly 30 cases - seven of which were in Georgia. By October 2019, they were able to verify 50 of Little's confessions, making him the most prolific offender in history. Little died in prison on December 30, 2020, at age 80.

In February 2019, Little started to draw his victims for the FBI, who hoped to identify some of the missing women. He drew 16 in total, which you can access online. If you recognize any of the women in the drawings please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.