How Many Serial Murderers Stalk Your Streets? 2019 Stats

In 1992, Dr. Mike Aamodt started collecting and coding data on serial murderers. Today, the Radford Serial Killer Database contains 3,304 serial killers, mass murderers, spree killers, and other types of multiple murderers.

With over 9,000 victim profiles and over 500 documents, it’s the largest non-governmental serial murderer database in the world. Over 175 variables separate the data into subject, including background information, victim preference, victim treatment, and information about lesser crimes committed by serial killers.

The Radford Serial Killer Database gathers information from public documents, including websites, books, court documents, and government agencies.

The data is then made available in both a case study format and as ready-to-use statistical information. Membership for the Radford Serial Killer Database Project is also offered to folks pursuing recognized academic research. Applicants must provide credentials from an accredited University or law enforcement agency and state the reason why they want access.

Some of the data may surprise you. Take a moment to prepare or grab your favorite beverage. I’ll wait. 🙂

Ready? Cool. Let’s do this.

What MO is the most popular among serial killers?

According to the database …

Death by Gun Shot — 977 serial killers preferred this murder method.

• 482 used a handgun
• 59 used a shotgun
• 45 used a rifle
• The database doesn’t clarify the remaining 391

Strangulation — 786 serial killers killed this way.

Sharp Force – Stabbing — 708

Poison — 184

Suffocation — 108

Drowning — 66

Fire — 42

Sharp Force – chop (like an ax) — 17

Poison – Medical (for example: an angel of death in hospital/nursing home setting) — 13

Vehicle — 11

Starvation — 8 (this one really surprised me! Imagine the patience it takes to starve someone to death?)

Hanging — 5

Shaken Baby Syndrome — 3

Staged Accident — 2

Gassed — 1

Thrown from Cliff — 1

Ordered Hit — 0 (hitmen don’t fall under the classification of serial killer)

Which race has the most serial murderers?

White — 1660 (Meaning, 1660 serial killers are Caucasian)

Black — 859

Asian — 160

Hispanic — 148

Native American — 16 (17, if you count Mr. Mayhem 😉 )

Other — 2

Which country has the most active serial murderers?

United States — 1948 active serial killers roam the streets today. Let that number sink in.

England — 109

South Africa — 94

Italy — 93

Germany — 78

Canada — 69

Australia — 55

France — 53

Japan — 40

India — 39

Russia — 37

China — 30

Mexico — 24

Austria — 18

Scotland — 14

Brazil — 14

Spain — 11

Poland — 10

Iran — 8

Columbia — 7

Belgium — 7

Thailand — 6

Wales — 6

Kenya — 5

Pakistan — 5

Greece — 5

Switzerland — 5

Sweden — 5

South Korea — 5

Singapore — 4

Philippines — 4

Hungary — 4

Indonesia — 4

Israel — 4

Vietnam — 4

Czech Republic — 4

Swaziland, Romania, Macedonia, Finland, New Zealand, Turkey, Bermuda, Uganda, Yemen, Hong Kong — all have 3 active serial killers.

Zimbabwe, Morocco, Ecuador, Norway, Northern Ireland, Guatemala, Bahamas, Argentina, Panama, Ireland, Jordan, Egypt, Yugoslavia, Slovenia, Uruguay — all have 2 active serial killers.

Botswana, Bosnia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Venezuela, Nepal, Afghanistan, Estonia, Holland, Ghana, Republic of Croatia, Republic of Latvia, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, El Salvador, Belarus, Syrian Arab Republic, Malta, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Portugal, Slovakia, Peru, Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Angola, Antigua — all have only 1 active serial killer.

Which US state do serial murderers prefer?

The numbers below correspond to where they kill from 1900 – 2019. Meaning, a serial killer may live in one state and kill in another. The added commentary is not based in fact. Just tryin’ to make statistics more fun. 😉

CA — 310 serial killers avoided falling coconuts while committing serial murder in California.

FL — 242 serial killers admired flamingos and tiptoed around crocs while murdering Florida residents.

TX — 187 serial murderers outran the Texas Rangers while killing 187 frightened residents.

NY — 155 serial killers sang, “I love New York” while murdering the population.

IL — 119 serial killers stopped by the legendary Chicago Theatre after each murder.

OH — 94 serial killers are probably responsible for the missing girls, among others.

GA — 89 Devils Went Down to Georgia.

PA — 85 serial killers stopped for a Philly cheese steak and prayed Coroner Graham Hetrick didn’t investigate the murders.

MI — 82 serial killers dipped their toes in the Great Lake in celebration of their latest conquest.

MO — 77 serial murderers had plenty of residents to choose from with a population of over six million.

WA — 75 serial killers sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, with blood on their hands as they contemplated who to target next.

NC — 69 serial killers played golf with potential murder victims.

VA — 69 serial killers flipped the bird at Quantico headquarters with a murder victim in the trunk.

IN — 64 serial killers celebrated a kill by sprinting across the University of Notre Dame campus with a football.

LA — 61 serial killers played eenie, meenie, miney, mo for which swamp to use as a dump site.

AZ — 59 serial killers tiptoed around scorpions while dumping bodies.

MD — 53 serial murderers dumped victims in Maryland for some unknown reason.

NJ — 53 serial killers tried to talk “wise guy” like Tony Soprano after they murdered someone new.

AL — 51 serial killers stopped for biscuits and gravy after a murder spree.

OK — 51 serial murders … no idea. Yelled, “Hee-haw!” after each kill?

CO — 48 serial killers had to avoid moose and antelope on their way back to the getaway vehicle after each murder.

TN — 48 serial murderers line-danced after most killing sprees.

NV — 48 serial killers tried their luck at the slots post-murder.

OR — 41 serial killers had umpteen places to dump a body where it might never be found.

SC — 40 serial murderers went out for a round of golf after each kill. (Golf must be a favorite pastime in the Carolinas. ;-))

MA — 39 serial killers dealt with the craziest drivers in the US while escaping their flourishing mass graves.

KY — 38 serial killers kicked back after each murder to watch Justified on Netflix while sipping moonshine.

KS — 34 serial murderers thought BTK was a joke in comparison.

MS — 32 serial killers also had to learn how to spell Mississippi in grammar school, and brushed up on their spelling after each kill.

DC — 30 serial killers were also confused by this abbreviation, but since they murdered here, they had a better shot of figuring it out. Washington DC, maybe?

CT — 30 serial killers outran numerous speeding tickets after each murder (Me, still bitter over a $100 speeding ticket from the 1990’s? Nah).

AR — 28 serial murderers chewed a piece of straw while killing their victims.

UT — 26 serial killers married nine different wives, and not one of the women knew why her husband went out for a jog most nights. Dear Lord, is he having an affair?

WI — 25 serial killers wondered if it’d ever stop snowing during winter murders.

NM — 16 serial killers had to contend with skinwalkers; they weren’t the only murderers out at night.

MN — 16 serial killers watched Fargo after every murder.

ID — 13 serial killers inhaled the wafted aroma of potatoes as they dug shallow graves. Or maybe, they hunted for wild mushrooms like my buddy Craig and his adorable bulldogs, Frankie and Otto.

NE — 12 serial murderers probably knew the Midwest a lot better than I do and used that knowledge to dump bodies in desolate locales.

MT — 12 serial murderers stalked their victims via horse, bucking the “cargo” right off the horse’s back-end.

WV — 11 serial murderers whitewater rafted at the New River Gorge to celebrate dumping their latest victim.

IA — 10 serial murderers dashed through the corn fields, dumping one body after another.

AK — 10 serial murderers never missed an episode of Ozark after a kill. They may’ve even binged a whole season on Netflix.

ME — 8 serial killers dined on lobsters to celebrate each murder, plastic bib and all.

VT — 6 serial killers waved away the stench of cow manure as part of their murder ritual.

RI — 6 serial killers weren’t caught by my buddy, Police Cap’t. (Ret.) Joe Broadmeadow during their reign of terror.

NH — 5 serial killers had the gall to kill where this particular crime writer resides. Let’s hope the number doesn’t rise after this post. 😉 Dear Serial Killer, this is NOT a dare.

HI — 5 serial killers sipped umbrella drinks and reclined on Hawaiian beaches after each kill.

DE — 5 serial murderers must not have had a vehicle to kill outside the smallest state in the US.

WY — 3 serial killers wrangled grizzlies before each kill. Maybe that’s why only three murdered there.

ND — 3 serial murderers are just as confused as I am to find “Fargo” here, but they wrote it off to dump their latest victim.

SD — 2 serial killers thought they’d “cash in” on Big Oil after they killed.

Whew. wipes sweat off the brow That took a lot longer than I thought. 🙂 If you haven’t guessed by now, geography is not my forte. For example, I recently asked a Canadian friend if she lived above me, as though we all reside in a desktop globe. facepalm

In other news …

The delay in between posts is due mainly to my writers’ life. I recently sent back the first round of edits for RACKED, Grafton County Series, Book 4,  and I’m racing toward the finish line for Mayhem Series, Book 4 (keeping the title hush-hush for now). Deadline for submission was the final days of June, but since my editor is on vacation till July 9th, she just gave me an extra nine days. Yay!

This weekend also kicks off my busy season for book signings. From May/June to October I try to fill almost every week with a book event. It’s a crazy schedule that takes quite a bit of advanced planning. The venues farthest away I’m able to schedule via phone. Many of my usual local places, however, prefer the personal touch. Either way is fine with me. I’m thankful to return to the same venues year after year.

This year, two book clubs asked me to speak. Which is both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. I’m flattered they love my books, but I also need to make the event extra special. After all, they could have asked any author, and still chose me. How cool is that?

My first signing for 2019 is tomorrow, Saturday, May 25th, outside The Other Guy’s Tattoo Shop on Weirs Beach. In SILENT MAYHEM, the killer decapitated one of the tattoo artists and his business partner made the prime suspect list. Needless to say, the tattoo shop plays an important role. So, it should be a fun day. Plus, we’re supposed to have beautiful weather on Saturday. Win-win! What better way to spend the day than signing books at the beach? I may even get new ink while I’m there. 😉

Here’s a fun fact: Did you know tattoos boost your immune system? I know, I know, I was skeptical at first, too. The theory behind it is this: because the tattoo gun drills ink several skin layers deep, it triggers the immune system to fight. A compromised immune system jolts to life and keeps fighting, thereby forcing it into compliance. I ran this theory by my rheumatologist, and she said it made sense. That’s all I needed to hear. 🙂

Now it’s your turn.

Choose your state and corresponding serial killer number and tell us what they did before, during, or after each murder. If you live outside the US, then improvise. I’d love to read what’s going on behind-the-scenes in different countries.

To the men and women in the armed forces, active or retired — a heartfelt thank you for your service. To the servicemen and women who died fighting for our freedom, your sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. You’ll forever live in our hearts and minds.

Wishing you a safe, happy, and fun Memorial Day weekend!!!