An imprisoned murderer is being investigated after confessing to 90 killings across four decades in the US.
Samuel Little, 78, may be among the prolific serial killers in US criminal history. State and federal agencies are now working to match his confessions with the deaths of dozens of women across the US from 1970 to 2005.
They have already linked 34 murders and there are many others lined up. Little is currently serving life in prison after being sentenced in 2014 for the murder of three women. He was found in 2012 when he was arrested at a homeless centre as he was wanted by police; when in custody his DNA was matched to samples that had been taken from three unsolved deaths in Los Angeles in 1987 and 1989. All three were beaten and strangled before their bodies were dumped separately.
The FBI said that Little confessed to 90 killings that stretched across the breath of the USA – California to Maryland.
ViCAP Crime Analyst Christina Palazzolo said in the report said in a report “Over the course of that interview in May, he went through city and state and gave Ranger Holland the number of people he killed in each place. Jackson, Mississippi – one; Cincinnati, Ohio – one; Phoenix, Arizona – three; Las Vegas, Nevada – one,”
They believe Little targeted vulnerable women who were involved in prostitution and addicted to drugs.
The FBI’s report stated: “Little’s method of killing also didn’t always leave obvious signs that the death was a homicide. The one-time competitive boxer usually stunned or knocked out his victims with powerful punches and then strangled them.
“With no stab marks or bullet wounds, many of these deaths were not classified as homicides but attributed to drug overdoses, accidents, or natural causes,”
Many of these killings are said to be done in between 1970s and early 1980s before DNA technology was available to police as it was not always clear results.
It is said in the FBI report that Little remembers his victims and the killings in great detail. He remembered what car he was driving and where he was. He draws pictures of many people he killed.
The FBI report states: “Little is in poor health and will likely stay in prison in Texas until his death. The goal now is to identify his victims and provide closure and justice in unsolved cases. ViCAP is also hoping this case will serve as a reminder to every jurisdiction of the importance of consistent violent crime reporting.”
Samuel Little’s confessions: murder locations and victims.
These incidents are either linked to victims who have not yet been identified (Jane Does) or to murders described by Samuel Little that have not yet been definitively corroborated by law enforcement (unmatched confessions). The information depicted when selecting the pinpoints on the map (also available in text form below) is based on interviews with Samuel Little; they are his confessions and recollections, and dates are approximations. Information current as of November 15, 2018.
Phoenix, Arizona
- Unmatched Confession:Hispanic female in her 40s. Killed in 1988 or 1996. Victim possibly from Phoenix.
- Unmatched Confession:White female killed in 1997. Victim possibly called “Ann.”
North Little Rock, Arkansas
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1992 or 1993.
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed between 1990 and 1997.
West Memphis, Arkansas
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 28-29 years old killed in 1984. Victim picked up in Memphis, Tennessee.
San Bernardino, California
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between the ages of 18-23 killed in 1984.
Los Angeles, California
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1987.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1987.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 19, killed in 1987.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 50, killed in 1987. Victim possibly called “Granny.”
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 22-23 years old killed in 1987.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 26-27 years old killed in 1987.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 40-45 years old killed in 1990 or 1991. Victim possibly called “Alice.”
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 20-22 years old killed in 1991 or 1992. Victim possibly from San Francisco.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1992.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1992 or 1993.
- Unmatched Confession:Hispanic female between 24-25 years old killed in 1992 or 1993. Victim possibly from Phoenix.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 23-25 years old killed in 1996.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 23-24 years old killed in 1996. Victim possibly called “T-Money.”
- Unmatched Confession:White female between 23-25 years old killed in 1996.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female age 25 killed in 1996.
Homestead, Florida
- Unmatched Confession:White female killed in 1970 or 1971.
Miami, Florida
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 22, killed in 1971.Victim possibly called “Linda.”
- Unmatched Confession:Black male, age 18, killed in 1971 or 1972. Victim possibly called “Mary Ann” or “Marianne.”
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 28, killed in 1971 or 1972. Victim possibly worked on Homestead Air Force Base.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 23-24 years old killed in the mid 1970s. Victim possibly called “Emily.” Victim possibly worked at the University of Miami.
Kendall, Florida
- Unmatched Confession:White female age 45 killed in 1973. Victim possibly called “Sarah.” Victim possibly from Massachusetts.
Perry, Florida
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1993.
Fort Myers, Florida
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1984.
Tampa Bay, Florida
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1984.
Plant City, Florida
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1977 or 1978. Met victim in Clearwater, Florida.
Savannah, Georgia
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 22-23 years old killed in 1974.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female age 23 killed in 1984.
Atlanta, Georgia
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 35-40 years old killed in 1981.
- Unmatched Confession:White female, age 26, killed in 1983 or 1984. Victim possibly from Griffith, Georgia.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 23-25 years old killed in 1984. Victim possibly a college student.
Macon, Georgia
- Confession Matched to a Jane Doe:Black female between 30-40 years old killed in 1977.
Dade County, Georgia
- Confession Matched to a Jane Doe:Black female between 25-30 years old killed in 1980 or 1981. Met the victim in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Granite City, Illinois
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 26, killed between 1976 and 1979. Met victim in St. Louis, Missouri. Victim possibly called “Jo.”
East St. Louis, Illinois
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed between 1976 and 1979. Met victim in St. Louis, Missouri.
Covington, Kentucky
- Unmatched Confession:White female killed in 1984. Met victim in Columbus, Ohio. Body disposed of somewhere in Northern Kentucky (city unspecified).
New Orleans, Louisiana
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1973. Victim possibly called “Sarah.” Victim possibly worked at a restaurant in New Orleans.
- Unmatched Confession:White female killed in 1982.
Plaquemine, Louisiana
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1978 or 1979.
Monroe, Louisiana
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 24, killed between 1987 and the early 1990s.
Prince George’s County, Maryland
- Confession Matched to a Jane Doe:White female between 20-25 years old killed in 1972. Victim possibly from Massachusetts.
Jackson, Mississippi
- Unmatched Confession:Black male, age 16, killed in 1984.
Gulfport, Mississippi
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 22, killed between 1980 and 1984.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 27-29 years old killed in 1988.
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 23-24 years old killed in 1988.
Pascagoula, Mississippi
- Confession Matched to a Jane Doe:Black female between 35-45 years old killed in 1977. Met the victim in Gulfport, Mississippi. Victim possibly from Pascagoula. Victim possibly worked at Ingalls Shipyard.
Las Vegas, Nevada
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 40, killed in 1993.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Unmatched Confession:White female, age 25, killed in 1974.
Cleveland, Ohio
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1978 or 1979.
Cincinnati, Ohio
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1974.
Akron, Ohio
- Unmatched Confession:White female killed in 1991 or 1992.
Charleston, South Carolina
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 28, killed between 1977 and 1982.
Knoxville, Tennessee
- Unmatched Confession:Black female, age 25, killed in 1975.
Wichita Falls, Texas
- Unmatched Confession:Black female killed in 1976 or 1977. Body disposed of somewhere outside of Wichita Falls (city unspecified).
Houston, Texas
- Unmatched Confession:Black female between 25-28 years old killed between 1976 and 1979 or in 1993.
