Where Have All The Serial Killers Gone?

[Orangejello Jones]

Odd topic, I know, but I’m totally hooked on true crime documentaries and it hit me this weekend that they are all from the 70’s and 80’s (with a few exceptions). So that got me thinking, do we not have serial killers now? Are they caught before they really get going now? Has society changed? Or am I just too busy working and running kids around to notice they are still around?

What do the dirtburglar brain trusts think? Where have they gone?

[Kelulu]

Spend some time with Israel Keyes.... between 1996 and 2012 he likely abducted, brutally raped and killed 11 men and women in multiple states while also robbing banks and burglarizing random homes. Scary dude.

[Pokej]

With DNA and video cameras on every corner you to be really dedicated to be successful. I think lot of them just went back to day trading.

[BirtDurglar]

Odd topic, I know, but I’m totally hooked on true crime documentaries and it hit me this weekend that they are all from the 70’s and 80’s (with a few exceptions). So that got me thinking, do we not have serial killers now? Are they caught before they really get going now? Has society changed? Or am I just too busy working and running kids around to notice they are still around?

What do the dirtburglar brain trusts think? Where have they gone?

I read somewhere that FBI says there are like 50 operating in the US at any given time. No clue if thats true or not.

[Stinger_1066]

They're still out there.

[Sooner Schooner]

Hanging out on DB.

[Sooner Schooner]

With DNA and video cameras on every corner you to be really dedicated to be successful. I think lot of them just went back to day trading.

This is likely the answer...a large part of it. It's much harder for one to go on a years/decades long spree.

On a side note, someone I know knew the BTK killer. She didn't know him well from what I gather, but had met him through her husband who worked for the city of Wichita or the county there...can't remember which.

[Pokej]

This is likely the answer...a large part of it. It's much harder for one to go on a years/decades long spree.

On a side note, someone I know knew the BTK killer. She didn't know him well from what I gather, but had met him through her husband who worked for the city of Wichita or the county there...can't remember which.

DNA eventually caught him. Now days he couldn’t evade the lawn or decades

[Lazers pew pew pew]

School/mass shooters are the impatient serial killers in the day of instant gratification. Everyone wants instant success and notoriety, and no one wants to cultivate a career.

[Salt City Sooner]

Not that I dwell on it or anything, but I would love to know who the frickin’ Zodiac was before I leave this earth.

[SoonerAviator]

I read somewhere that FBI says there are like 50 operating in the US at any given time. No clue if thats true or not.

Sunday joke: Picked up a hitch-hiker. Seemed like a nice guy. After a few miles, he asked me if I wasn't afraid that he might be a serial killer. I told him the odds of two serial killers being in the same car were extremely unlikely.

[Sooner79]

We now live in a country where we’re only told what the media and the left want us to know, Actual and factual reporting on the happenings in the country no longer exists. Thus, there’s no way of knowing whether there are no, or hundreds or thousands of serial killers out there today.

[OUwasp]

DNA eventually caught him. Now days he couldn’t evade the lawn or decades

No, it was something computer disk related. BTK (Dennis Rader) sent a mocking message to the police on a cd-rom or somesuch that had been used by the church he was attencding. FBI techies were able to track it back to the church, and pretty quickly to the killer himself.

[ACoolOkieDude]

I'm a believer that the removal of lead in paint and gasoline is a big reason that there's less violent crime in general. Plus the notion that all of us have carried a tracking computer every day for a decade or two means most would get caught earlier.

[SoonerHank]

All the serial killers work for the government now.

[BirtDurglar]

I'm a believer that the removal of lead in paint and gasoline is a big reason that there's less violent crime in general. Plus the notion that all of us have carried a tracking computer every day for a decade or two means most would get caught earlier.

A pretty compelling case has been made for Roe Vs Wade being the cause of the steady decline of violent crime since the early 90s.

[Sooner Schooner]

We now live in a country where we’re only told what the media and the left want us to know, Actual and factual reporting on the happenings in the country no longer exists. Thus, there’s no way of knowing whether there are no, or hundreds or thousands of serial killers out there today.

In a nation with a "If it bleeds, it leads" media...I doubt the media would cover up a known serial killer.

[Sooner79]

In a nation with a "If it bleeds, it leads" media...I doubt the media would cover up a known serial killer.

If it didn’t meet the agenda of the FBI, deep state, or whoever’s in charge, the media would most definitely cover it up if they were instructed to do so.

[Middle Aged Man]

No, it was something computer disk related. BTK (Dennis Rader) sent a mocking message to the police on a cd-rom or somesuch that had been used by the church he was attencding. FBI techies were able to track it back to the church, and pretty quickly to the killer himself.

The DNA match was through his daughter after they had him as the key suspect.

https://www.biography.com/news/btk-k...rader-timeline


A computer disk arriving by mail is relayed to cybercop Randy Stone, who uncovers BTK's message about checking an index card for more information, along with the hidden metadata that reveals the disk to have been used by a "Dennis" at "Christ Lutheran Church" and "Park City Library." Within seconds, an internet search for Christ Lutheran Church reveals the name of its president: Dennis Rader.

Already armed with DNA evidence carefully preserved by the Ghostbusters, Lieutenant Landwehr and his team learn that Rader's daughter, Kerri, had been in the hospital for a pap smear. The hospital soon turns over a sample of her DNA, which matches that of BTK.

His daughter has completely disowned him, I think his wife died (not sure), unsure of what happened to other family, and he's rotting in a prison cell 35 miles from where he committed most of his crimes.

[Middle Aged Man]

School/mass shooters are the impatient serial killers in the day of instant gratification. Everyone wants instant success and notoriety, and no one wants to cultivate a career.

It drives ratings, TV news runs with it ad nauseum, more people do it for the publicity.

[Stinger_1066]

Not that I dwell on it or anything, but I would love to know who the frickin’ Zodiac was before I leave this earth.

They have DNA samples and they've been checking them against GEDmatch, the same system that was used to identify the Golden State Killer. They haven't come up with anything yet.

[Pokej]

They have DNA samples and they've been checking them against GEDmatch, the same system that was used to identify the Golden State Killer. They haven't come up with anything yet.

How old is Socali?

[traxx]

A pretty compelling case has been made for Roe Vs Wade being the cause of the steady decline of violent crime since the early 90s.

The 90s is when school shooters/mass shooters started becoming more prevalent. I don't see that violent crime has declined, it's just taken a different path.

[RockFlagandEagle]

They have DNA samples and they've been checking them against GEDmatch, the same system that was used to identify the Golden State Killer. They haven't come up with anything yet.

Golden State Killer might be the lamest of all serial killer nicknames.

[BirtDurglar]

The 90s is when school shooters/mass shooters started becoming more prevalent. I don't see that violent crime has declined, it's just taken a different path.

No, it has declined dramatically accross the nation even with things like school shootings factored in. That trend started around 1990 or so.

[traxx]

No, it has declined dramatically accross the nation even with things like school shootings factored in. That trend started around 1990 or so.

So mass shooters aren't responsible for as much or more death as serial killers?

[BirtDurglar]

So mass shooters aren't responsible for as much or more death as serial killers?

Violent crime has steadily declined nationwide since around 1990. **
Dont know how much more clear that can be.


** this is data and analysis from around 1990 to 2019 or so. I do not know what the recent uptik in (obviously politically motivated) crime does to the numbers.

[traxx]

Violent crime has steadily declined nationwide since around 1990. **
Dont know how much more clear that can be.


** this is data and analysis from around 1990 to 2019 or so. I do not know what the recent uptik in (obviously politically motivated) crime does to the numbers.

Since you said thst, I went and looked. I had to dig some to find information prior to 1990. Around 1990 there was quite a peak but then it returned to about the same numbers as in the 80s.

So a lot of what I found started with 1990. If you use that as a starting point then it looks like a huge drop. If you look from say 1960 to present time it tells more of the story. Around about the time that social media (online as well as apps) begins to become more mainstream is when numbers start dropping below the norms. I'm not saying correlation=causation but it would be interesting to explore that thought.

[BirtDurglar]

Since you said thst, I went and looked. I had to dig some to find information prior to 1990. Around 1990 there was quite a peak but then it returned to about the same numbers as in the 80s.

So a lot of what I found started with 1990. If you use that as a starting point then it looks like a huge drop. If you look from say 1960 to present time it tells more of the story. Around about the time that social media (online as well as apps) begins to become more mainstream is when numbers start dropping below the norms. I'm not saying correlation=causation but it would be interesting to explore that thought.

As I said, at least one compelling study found Roe vs Wade to be the underlying cause. Simply put the most likely would-be violent criminals of the future started getting aborted by the millions annually in 1973.

[traxx]

As I said, at least one compelling study found Roe vs Wade to be the underlying cause. Simply put the most likely would-be violent criminals of the future started getting aborted by the millions annually in 1973.

Yeah I saw that on freakenomics several years back. So I guess there were just some really bad kids born between 1970-73 and that accounts for the peak around 1990 before it returned to previous numbers.

[BirtDurglar]

Yeah I saw that on freakenomics several years back. So I guess there were just some really bad kids born between 1970-73 and that accounts for the peak around 1990 before it returned to previous numbers.

You are losing me on this claim.

Everything I have ever read is similar to the following-

Crime in the United States has been recorded since the early 1600s. Crime rates have varied over time, with a sharp rise after 1900 and reaching a broad bulging peak between the 1970s and early 1990s. After 1991, crime rates began to fall year by year and has since declined significantly. This trend lasted until 2015, where crime rates began to rise slightly. This reversed in 2018 and 2019, but violent crime increased significantly again in 2020.^[

Studies have some variation due how they interpret some data. But they generally show the same thing... a peak through out the end of the 80s and a decline from 1990 or 91 or so... and the decline continues until the late 20teens or so where there is an uptick. This blurb i quoted even mentions the 2020 spike i speculated on earlier.
But, ive never seen anything that indicates that violent crime went back to 1980s peak levels at any point since then.


hard to zoom in on these, but this shows 1993 through 2019. Pretty significant drop and no return to pre-90s levels.

[Sooner Schooner]

If it didn’t meet the agenda of the FBI, deep state, or whoever’s in charge, the media would most definitely cover it up if they were instructed to do so.

Ah, so that explains why certain sectors of the news media constantly criticize the current President...because it fits the agenda of the FBI, deep state, and whoever. Gotcha.

[Sooner Schooner]

Since you said thst, I went and looked. I had to dig some to find information prior to 1990. Around 1990 there was quite a peak but then it returned to about the same numbers as in the 80s.

So a lot of what I found started with 1990. If you use that as a starting point then it looks like a huge drop. If you look from say 1960 to present time it tells more of the story. Around about the time that social media (online as well as apps) begins to become more mainstream is when numbers start dropping below the norms. I'm not saying correlation=causation but it would be interesting to explore that thought.

The old standard used to be the number of males between the ages of 17 and 26...those are the prime crime committing years. I guess the males in that age group now spend all their time surfing for porn and hanging out on TikTok instead of committing crimes.

[keef]

FUN FACT: "Where Have All The Serial Killers Gone?" was the original title to Paula Cole's first big hit. Luckily Columbia Records stepped in.

[Sooner79]

Ah, so that explains why certain sectors of the news media constantly criticize the current President...because it fits the agenda of the FBI, deep state, and whoever. Gotcha.

Your attempt at a rebuttal makes no sense at all. You best move on so you don’t look any dumber than you do now.

[Lazers pew pew pew]

FUN FACT: "Where Have All The Serial Killers Gone?" was the original title to Paula Cole's first big hit. Luckily Columbia Records stepped in.

You asshole. Now i have that horrible song with a lyrical twist in my head.

[TheBoots]

We now live in a country where we’re only told what the media and the left want us to know, Actual and factual reporting on the happenings in the country no longer exists. Thus, there’s no way of knowing whether there are no, or hundreds or thousands of serial killers out there today.

In a nation with a "If it bleeds, it leads" media...I doubt the media would cover up a known serial killer.

If it didn’t meet the agenda of the FBI, deep state, or whoever’s in charge, the media would most definitely cover it up if they were instructed to do so.

Ah, so that explains why certain sectors of the news media constantly criticize the current President...because it fits the agenda of the FBI, deep state, and whoever. Gotcha.

Your attempt at a rebuttal makes no sense at all. You best move on so you don’t look any dumber than you do now.

You all obviously can't read a simple fucking rule

Rule 6: No politics
- There are no politics allowed. There’s another forum for that! Use it! No exceptions!

Yet, he is the dumb one?

Take it to the Dome. Entire thread about the media

[RockFlagandEagle]

The old standard used to be the number of males between the ages of 17 and 26...those are the prime crime committing years. I guess the males in that age group now spend all their time surfing for porn and hanging out on TikTok instead of committing crimes.

Progress.

[Sooner Schooner]

You all obviously can't read a simple fucking rule



Yet, he is the dumb one?

Take it to the Dome. Entire thread about the media

I wasn't discussing politics. I was discussing his belief that the bogeyman, or whoever it is, keeps the media from reporting on a topic...something that is ludicrous on it's face.

[Fostercluck]

This is likely the answer...a large part of it. It's much harder for one to go on a years/decades long spree.

On a side note, someone I know knew the BTK killer. She didn't know him well from what I gather, but had met him through her husband who worked for the city of Wichita or the county there...can't remember which.

I'll see you and raise you one John Edward Robinson, widely regarded as the internet's first serial killer. A friend of mine from my KC days had gone on a "date" with him in the late 90s, and I was her safe call. Before they went out she had given me his name and driver's license number. Her encounter with her ended poorly, and she left, calling me when she got home to give the all clear. I disposed of the information and never thought about it again until he was convicted. I was joking with her about it when she quipped "Ummm, Fostercluck, remember that inly time you were my safe call?" Man, my heart dropped like a brick.

[SEC]

They’re usually out of the state of Washington.

If anyone needs to find one, that’s a good start..

[traxx]

Progress?

FIFY

[ouwxgrad_v2]

All the serial killers work for the government now.

Or Planned Parenthood. In fact, I'd say mostly Planned Parenthood.

[Stinger_1066]

Odd topic, I know, but I’m totally hooked on true crime documentaries and it hit me this weekend that they are all from the 70’s and 80’s (with a few exceptions). So that got me thinking, do we not have serial killers now? Are they caught before they really get going now? Has society changed? Or am I just too busy working and running kids around to notice they are still around?

What do the dirtburglar brain trusts think? Where have they gone?

If you have Amazon Prime, there is a series called Becoming Evil: Serial Killers

It is a history of serial killers in the US. It is very dry, but informative, particularly regarding certain myths we have about serial killers.

[KCRuf/Nek]

Thomas C Howell. The Reaper. Criminal Minds.

[bushmaster06]

No, it has declined dramatically accross the nation even with things like school shootings factored in. That trend started around 1990 or so.

Not to take sides in this, but you may find the following interesting. You can look at maps by zip code with the corresponding crime stats.

[bushmaster06]

So mass shooters aren't responsible for as much or more death as serial killers?

It depends on what you consider a mass shooting. Mass shootings are artificially high stat-wise because any shooting with 4+ victims (not necessarily deaths) is considered a mass shooting. So when gang bangers collide in Chicago or some other shit hole it counts toward that stat.

[Fostercluck]

I need to add Bill James' book "The Man From The Train" to my summer reading list - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_the_Train

Or just listen to his lecture on it... https://archive.org/details/2017921BillJames

James is best know as the father of Sabermetrics, but has delved into detective writing a bit.

[keef]

man, I just can't get that paula cole song outta my head everytime I read this thread title. Lazers pew pew pew sorry man. it's driving me crazy. just thought you should know.

[Lazers pew pew pew]

Fast forward to 50 seconds. So fucking true.