Serial Killers That Were Never Caught
For every case that ends in an arrest, others end in nothing — no name, no trial, no grave to point to. This is a reference to the most infamous serial killers that were never caught, and a study in contrast: the Albert Fish case sat cold for six years before it was solved, and it was solved for a single reason that the killers below never gave investigators — a piece of traceable paper.
Image: New York, late 19th century. Public domain in the United States. Via Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons.
The cases that were never solved
The dates are the years of the known killings. Where a case has been solved or a suspect recently charged, that is flagged.
Jack the Ripper — London, 1888
The most famous unidentified killer in history. Between 31 August and 9 November 1888 he murdered at least five women — the "canonical five" — in and around Whitechapel in London's East End. Dozens of suspects have been proposed over more than a century; none has been conclusively proven. The case is officially unsolved.
The Zodiac Killer — Northern California, 1968–1969
Linked by police to five murders and two non-fatal attacks across Benicia, Vallejo, Napa County and San Francisco. He taunted newspapers with letters and ciphers and claimed up to 37 victims, most uncorroborated. Despite long-discussed suspects, no one has been definitively tied to the crimes by physical evidence. The case remains open. (His handwritten letters are studied alongside the Fish correspondence.)
The Alphabet Killer — Rochester, New York, 1971–1973
Three girls — Carmen Colón, Wanda Walkowicz and Michelle Maenza — were raped and murdered, each with matching first and last initials, each found in a town beginning with the same letter. The "double-initial" pattern named the case. It remains unsolved.
Bible John — Glasgow, 1968–1969
Three women were killed after nights at Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom, each having met a well-dressed, red-haired man who reportedly quoted scripture — the detail that gave him his nickname. Never identified.
The Freeway Phantom — Washington, D.C., 1971–1972
Six young Black girls were abducted and murdered in the District of Columbia. The oldest unsolved serial-murder case in Washington, it remains open more than fifty years later.
The I-70 Killer — U.S. Midwest, 1992
Six people were shot in small shops along the Interstate 70 corridor across Indiana, Missouri and Kansas over a few weeks in 1992. The killer was never identified, though the case has been periodically reopened.
The cases that were finally solved
Two of the most cited "uncaught" names were eventually identified — a reminder that "unsolved" can be temporary.
The Golden State Killer — identified 2018
Known for decades as the East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker, the offender behind at least 13 murders and more than 50 rapes across California (1976–1986) was identified in April 2018 as former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo, through investigative genetic genealogy. He pleaded guilty in 2020 and received multiple life terms.
The Long Island Serial Killer — suspect charged 2023
The Gilgo Beach murders on Long Island went unsolved for over a decade until July 2023, when Rex Heuermann was arrested and charged in connection with several of the killings. The case is proceeding through the courts.
The contrast: how Albert Fish was caught
Set against these names, the Grace Budd case is the inverse. After Fish abducted and murdered the ten-year-old in 1928, the investigation collapsed; for six years he was, in effect, an uncaught serial killer. What broke the case was not forensics or a witness but the killer's own compulsion to write. In November 1934 Fish mailed an anonymous letter to Grace's mother. It was written on stationery bearing the emblem of the New York Private Chauffeurs' Benevolent Association — and Detective William F. King traced that paper, building by building, to the rooming house where Fish was staying. He was arrested on 13 December 1934 and executed at Sing Sing in 1936.
The killers above gave investigators no such thread. That, more than anything, is why they were never caught: no surviving forensic link, no confession, and no traceable object. Fish supplied all three himself. The full account is on how Albert Fish was caught.
Frequently asked questions
Which famous serial killers were never caught?
The most famous unidentified killers include Jack the Ripper (London, 1888), the Zodiac (California, 1968–1969), the Alphabet Killer (Rochester, early 1970s), Bible John (Glasgow, 1968–1969) and the Freeway Phantom (Washington D.C., 1971–1972) — all officially unsolved.
Was Albert Fish ever caught?
Yes. Unlike the killers on this list, Fish was caught. The Grace Budd case was cold for six years until his 1934 letter, written on traceable stationery, led Detective William F. King to arrest him. Fish was executed at Sing Sing in 1936.
How many serial killers are never caught?
A significant share are never solved. Cases go cold when there is no surviving forensic link, no confession and no traceable evidence — the opposite of the Fish case, where the killer's own letter supplied all three.
Further Reading
Independent, non-Wikipedia sources vetted at the time of publication. External links open in a new window.
- National Institute of Justice — Serial Killer Cold Cases — How modern forensics reopens unsolved cases.
- Albert Fish press coverage — Newspapers.com search — Contemporary reporting on the case that was solved.
See: how Albert Fish was caught, the handwriting analysis, and famous criminals in history. Return to the main archive.