True Crime Friday: Samuel McDowell Little, America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer

Samuel Little was America’s most prolific serial killer and yet most people have little knowledge of this killer. Little bragged about the people he targeted so that he would not get caught. He said he never went after a journalist, politician or anyone he thought would be missed. He targeted vulnerable Black women. These women were either sex workers, hooked on drugs or runaways. He also targeted other races but his preferred victims were Black. He was able to murder with impunity for decades.

Samuel Little’s Early Childhood

Samuel Little was born as Samuel McDowell on June 7, 1940. Hailing from Reynolds, Georgia. Little’s mother was a teenage sex worker and she abandoned him at a very young age. Little never knew his father. Authorities believe Little’s mother might have given birth to him while she was in jail. Little was raised by his grandmother in Lorain, Ohio. He had a difficult time in high school and eventually dropped out.

Little for a short period of time was a professional boxer. He lost interest over time in building a professional boxing career. However, he used his boxing skills in another manner.

His favorite way to murder was to punch women in their throats. Once they were knocked out he would strangle them. A few of these women were able to get away. When his survivors would go to the authorities they were dismissed. The authorities chose to believe Little over the women. Little had an extensive rap sheet from when he was a young boy but that did not seem to matter because the authorities valued a violent man over the safety of women.

The authorities seemed to take the word of an abuser over the word of many women because of their misogyny. The truth is there would be many women alive today if the police had taken their accusations seriously. Little got away with so many murders because he was a man. Also he knew which victims were considered less dead by police. He went on to kill with impunity. The police should be ashamed!

Federal Bureau of Investigation

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Little admitted to more than 93 different murders in total. Sixty of those murders have been formally connected to him by the police. He was only charged and convicted for eight murder. He was active between 1970 and 2005. Many of his victims’ deaths were originally ruled as overdoses or attributed to accidental or undetermined causes. The FBI has confirmed Little to be the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history.

The Confirmed and Unconfirmed Victims of Samuel Little

• Annie Lee Stewart, 32,
• Mary Jo Peyton, 21,
• Carol Linda Alford, 41
• Audrey Nelson Everett, 35
• Guadalupe Apodaca, 46,
• Zena Marie Jones, 30,
• Rose Evans, 32,
• Denise Christie Brothers, 32
• Mary Jo Brosley, 1970
• Linda, 1971
• Marianne/Mary Ann. 1971-1972
• Unnamed black female, 1971-1972
• Unnamed white female, 1972
• Unnamed white female, 1973
• Sarah Brown, 1973
• Unnamed black female, 1974
• Unnamed black female, 1974
• Emily, 1970
• Unnamed black female, 1975
• Unnamed black female, 1976-1977
• Jo, 1976-1977
• Unnamed black female, 1976-1979
• Unnamed black female. 1976-1979 or 1993
• Yvonne Pless, 1977
• Clara Birdlong, 1977
• Unnamed black female, 1977 or 1978
• Unnamed black female, 1977-1978
• Unnamed black female, 1977 or 1982
• Patricia Parker, 1980-1981
• Unnamed black female, 1980-1984
• Unnamed black female, 1981
• Unnamed white female, 1982
• Unnamed black female, 1982
• Melinda "Mindy" LaPree, 1982
• Unnamed white female, 1983-1984
• Unnamed female, 1984
• Unnamed black female, 1984
• Linda Bennett, 1988
• Zena Jones, 1990
• Priscilla Baxter-Jones, 1997
• Unnamed black female, 1984
• Unnamed black female, 1984
• Unnamed black female, 1984
• Frances Campbell, 1984
• Unnamed black female, 1987
• Unnamed black female, 1987
• Unnamed black female, 1987
• Granny, 1987
• Unnamed black female, 1987
• Unnamed black female, 1987
• Unnamed black female, 1987
• Unnamed Hispanic female, 1988 or 1996
• Jolanda Jones, 1994
• Alice Denise Duvall, 1991
• Roberta Tandarich, 1991
• Unnamed black female, 1991-1992
• Unnamed black female, 1992
• Unnamed black female, 1992-1993
• Unnamed Hispanic female, 1992-1993
• Unnamed black female, 1993
• Unnamed black female, 1993
• Unnamed black female, 1996
• "T-Money, 1996
• Unnamed white female, 1996
• Unnamed black female, 1996
• Ann, 1997

Per the FBI, Samuel Little’s recollection of dates was not always accurate. He also sometimes struggles to remember the exact clothing worn by a victim. These factors should not negate the fact that he admitted to murdering 93 women. There are videos of Little confessing and admitting to committing violent acts against women. Did I mentioned that he called them his flowers?

Lady Justice

Little was arrested in a homeless shelter in Kentucky after police in California found his DNA on a victim. The Cold Case Unit had the DNA tested and it came back as a match to Little. The murderer died while in custody on December 30, 2020 in a Los Angeles County hospital. Per the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Little suffered from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions. May he rest in hell.

Reference

the names of the 93 victims of samuel little - Search Images (bing.com)

Samuel Little: Biography, Serial Killer, Criminal

Samuel Little - Wikipedia

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