Much is written about the most famous cold case in history. That of Jack the Ripper. I have contributed many articles and books on the subject. However, many other serial killings remain unsolved.

These cases are less well known and didn’t receive the attention other cases did. It is entirely possible that the reason some of these were not solved, is due to the lack of attention. The lack of interest has meant these case have left our memory. Neither the media nor the police has the time to pursue the unknown killers.

The fact that many of these killers, may still be walking amongst us; eating in the same restaurants as us, make these scarier. Someone in the world, maybe sharing a house with one of these perpetrators, unaware of what their history holds.

The Freeway Phantom

The Freeway Phantom haunted Washington D.C in 1971. This killer haunted the metropolitan area for 16 months. He killed six girls aged between 10 and 18. On investigation the police uncovered that at least three of them were raped, all were strangled. As the bodies were found along roadways and freeways, he earned his nickname.

All six of the victims were black. The case may have received more media attention and police coverage if the victims had been white. At the time the majority of D.C was black, whilst only 40% of the police force was. When the Watergate Scandal broke, many police transferred to work this case. This caused outrage amongst the victims’ families.

One of the victims, Carol Spinks, went to the grocery store with her sister. Abducted somewhere between her home and the store. Six days later her body was found. There were defensive wounds. When they examined her stomach contents, she had been held for several days before the murder.

The police did think they had a suspect and served a search warrant on his residence. No evidence of any crime was found and he was released.

Brenda Woodward was the eldest of the victims at 18-years-old. Inside her pocket was a note written by her, dictated by the killer it stated:

This is tantamount to my insensitivity to people especially women. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can!

To this day, those words haunt the metropolitan area and the killer remains free.

Honolulu Strangler

The Honolulu Strangler was also named The Serial Killer by Hawaiian press. Responsible for the murder of five women in cold blood. The murders occurred between 1985 and 1986. He was Honolulu’s first serial killer.

All the women were raped and strangled. Their hands tied behind their backs, they were found in various stages of undress.

When the police knew they had a serial killer on the loose, they set up a 27-person force with the assistance of the FBI.

The killer profiled by the FBI was described as a male who lives of works in the area. An opportunistic killer, who didn’t stalk his victims, but found vulnerable women when he had the killing urge.

Witnesses have said they saw a Caucasian man driving a white van near the area. Another witness would later come forward and identify a man she had seen with one of the victims. This witness refused to testify as she said she was fearful for her life.

Eventually, Howard Gay was arrested and questioned, but the evidence was not forthcoming. Even though he fitted the profile and drove a van for his company. The suspect was released and left Hawaii.

Despite more than 30 years of improvements in forensic technology, the killer has never been caught

The Long Island Ripper

2010 was one of the worst winters on record in New York. In December, four bodies were discovered on Gilgo beach. They would herald the start of the search for the Long Island Ripper.

Hampered by the weather, the search was not resumed again until March, where the police would discover more bodies. The bodies continued to mount up until 2013. It is estimated that this serial killer murdered between 10 and 14 people. The Long Island police can not be certain whether all corpses discovered are related. Only 10 have officially been attributed to the same killer.

As with many other famous ripper cases, six of the victims were identified as missing prostitutes. The other victims remain, unidentified. All victims were wrapped in burlap sacks after being throttled and some dismembered.

When the police examined the forensic evidence, they believe that some of the victims, could have been killed as long as 15 years ago.

The FBI profiled him as a man between 30 and 40. They stated he was likely in a long term relationship or married, he would be well educated and charismatic. Familiar with the Long Island areas, he may even be a resident there. Most professionals think he will not stop killing until he is apprehended.

Does this sound like the man sitting across the table from you?

The February 9th Killer

This was the nickname given to the murderer responsible for the murder of Sonia Mejia, her unborn baby and Damiani Castillo. The murders took part between 2006 and 2008 in Salt Lake City. Both murders committed on the same day, two years apart.

Both Mejia and Castillo were strangled, but that is as much as the police know, as all leads dried up. The case has since become dormant. So how where these two cases connected?

A crime laboratory in Utah connected the two murders through DNA evidence in 2009. Although the DNA markers matched each other they did not match any marker in the police files.

The profile suspected the killer was a medium build, a Latino man who was either a young adult or teenager at the time of the killing. Although the hunt for the murderer continues, in 2011 it was classified as a cold case.

In 2018 the DA’s Sim Gill announced that they knew who the killer was. As the suspect was in a different jurisdiction he could not release the name of the killer. No other further details have been released.

West Mesa Bone Collector

In 2009, police discovered the skeletal remains for 11 women, one who was pregnant at the time. The makeshift graves were along the Albuquerque trail. This prompted a massive manhunt for the man nicknamed the West Mesa Bone Collector.

The killing started in 2003. The killer would target women between the ages of 15 and 32. All victims were involved in drug use or prostitution. The killings thought to have occurred between 2003 and 2005.

The fact that the victims were drug users or in the sex trade meant they were less likely to be reported missing. No official suspects have ever been named in the killings. Although a reward of $100 000 is available for information resulting in the apprehension of the killer. The murders remain unsolved.

We can never know what is going on in someone else’s head. As many of these suspects are described as family people, some could be married. Primrose Shipman was adamant she knew nothing of her husbands murdering ways. He claimed over 250 victims.

Are you sitting at the table every night with a serial killer? Has your partner never acted suspiciously or violent, but could they be killing innocent victims.

Do we truly really know the people around us?