March 11, 2026
Samuel Little: The Most Prolific Serial Killer in U.S. History and the 68 Women Still Nameless
Samuel Little is believed to be the most prolific serial killer in United States history, confessing to 93 murders across multiple states between the 1970s and early 2000s. For decades, many of his victims remained unidentified, their disappearances overlooked as Little traveled from city to city targeting vulnerable women.
In this episode, we examine the disturbing case of Samuel Little and the women whose lives were taken during his forty-year killing spree. After his arrest in 2012, investigators uncovered shocking confessions from Little that revealed a pattern of violence stretching across the entire country. Many of his victims were Black women, women living in poverty, sex workers, or women struggling with addiction people whose disappearances often received little attention from authorities at the time.
One of the most haunting pieces of evidence in this case came from detailed sketches Little drew from memory of the women he killed. These drawings have helped investigators identify some victims and reopen cold cases that had been unsolved for decades.
But many of the women in those sketches are still unknown.
Today, 21 victims have been identified, while dozens more remain Jane Does, and several still cannot be connected to any missing persons case. Their faces are known—but their names are not.
This episode focuses not just on the crimes themselves, but on the lives of the women who were ignored, forgotten, or never reported missing. It is a story about systemic failure, forgotten victims, and the ongoing effort to finally give these women the recognition and justice they deserve.
If you’re interested in true crime, unsolved murders, cold cases, and the Samuel Little investigation, this episode explores one of the most disturbing and heartbreaking serial killer cases in modern American history.
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The night was quiet, the kind of
quiet that makes every small
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sound feel louder than it
should.
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Somewhere in America, sometime
in the 1970s, a woman got into a
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car with a stranger.
Not exactly a new concept.
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Maybe she thought it was just
another trip.
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Maybe she needed money.
Maybe she just trusted the wrong
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person.
For a few minutes, no gunshots,
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no screams.
Anyone could hear.
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No witnesses.
Just a pair of hands around her
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throat.
And then silence.
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At first, it looked like an
isolated tragedy, a woman lost
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somewhere on the margins of
society.
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But then it happened again and
again.
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For decades, women disappeared
like this across the United
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States.
Florida, Texas, California,
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Mississippi, Arkansas.
Women who lived on the edge of
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society.
Women whose disappearances were
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often dismissed, misclassified,
or barely investigated at all.
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Women whose names many people
never even learned.
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The cases were scattered across
different cities, different
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decades, and different police
departments that never realized
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they were all chasing the same
man because the man responsible
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kept moving city to city, state
to state, decade to decade.
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And for years, no one saw the
pattern.
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Not because the clues weren't
there, but because the victims
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were the kind of people society
often forgets.
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By the time the investigators
finally stopped him, he had been
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killing for more than 30 years.
And when he finally began to
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talk, he didn't confess to a
handful of murders.
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He confessed to 93, making him
the most prolific serial killer
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in American history.
I'm Brittany Ransom, and this is
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When Killers Get Caught, the
podcast where we examine the
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lives, behaviors and psychology
become the most extreme acts of
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violence.
And what happens when the truth
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finally catches up.
You've been asking me to cover
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this case since 2020, so tonight
we're finally diving in.
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This is the story of Samuel
Little, the man who strangled
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dozens of women across America
while their cases slipped
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quietly into forgotten police
files.
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Samuel Little was born on June
7th, 1940 in Reynolds, Georgia.
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His early life was marked by
instability and hardship that
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could follow him well into
adulthood.
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Little's mother, who was
believed to have been involved
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in sex work, was frequently
absent during his childhood.
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Because of this, he was raised
primarily by his grandmother in
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Lorain, OH.
While his grandmother provided a
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home for him, Little's
upbringing was far from stable,
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and many who later studied his
life pointed to these early
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years as the beginning of a long
pattern of behavioral problems.
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As a child, Little reportedly
struggled in school.
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He had difficulty fitting in
socially.
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Teachers and classmates
described him as disruptive,
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prone to getting in trouble.
Some reports suggest that he
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experienced bullying in
isolation, which may have
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contributed to his growing anger
and resentment toward other
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people during his youth.
Little also claimed to have
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suffered a serious head injury,
something investigators and
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psychologists later took note of
while examining his behavior.
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The details of the incident,
however, remain uncertain.
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According to Little's own
account, he was struck in the
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head by another student during a
fight at school and was knocked
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unconscious.
He later told doctors
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investigators that he remained
unconscious for several hours
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and that the incident occurred
when he was in still in
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elementary school.
Well, the story may sound
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dramatic.
Injuries like this are not
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unheard of.
In fact, cases of children
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suffering severe or even fatal
head trauma from school fights
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have occurred recently.
So the scenario itself is not
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impossible.
However, it's important to be
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transparent about the source of
this claim.
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There are no publicly confirmed
medical records that document
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this injury.
The only information about it
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comes from statements Little
made during interviews after his
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arrest, particularly in
conversations with Texas Ranger
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James Holland.
While it is impossible to say
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exactly how much this injury
influences later actions, head
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trauma has often been associated
with impulse control problems
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and aggressive behavior.
By the time Little reached his
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teenage years, he'd already
begun developing a pattern of
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criminal activity.
His first arrest came as a
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teenager, primarily for theft.
Petty crimes will begin as minor
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offenses quickly escalated into
more serious acts of violence.
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Records show that he frequently
got into fights and displayed
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increasingly aggressive behavior
toward others.
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These early run insurance with
the loss of the stage.
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For a lifetime spent cycling in
and out of the criminal justice
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system, Little's adult life
became defined by constant
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movement and a repeated arrest
across multiple states.
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Throughout the 60s and 70s, he
was arrested numerous times for
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crimes including theft, fraud,
assault, and driving under the
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influence.
One of his earliest known
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violent crimes occurred in 1975.
He was arrested for beating and
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strangling a woman in Florida.
Although the victim survived and
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Little served time for the
attack, the incident
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foreshadowed the method he would
later use in the majority of his
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murders.
Over the course of his life,
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Samuel Little spent decades
behind bars for a variety of
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offenses.
Investigators estimate that he
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spent roughly half of his adult
life in prison or jail.
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However, because many of his
sentences were for relatively
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short periods of time, he was
repeatedly released back into
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society.
Each release allowed him to
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travel to new cities and states,
making it extremely difficult
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for law enforcement to connect
crimes that occurred hundreds or
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even thousands of miles apart.
This constant cycle of arrest,
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incarceration, and release
create a situation where little
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was frequently on the radar of
police, but rarely held long
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enough to stop his escalating
violence.
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His criminal history was
extensive, but because his
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offenses were so scattered, no
single department ever really
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got a complete picture of the
threat he possessed.
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By the time investigators would
finally uncover the full scope
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of his crimes decades later,
became clear that the troubled
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boy from Reynolds, Georgia, had
grown into one of the most
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prolific serial killers in
American history.
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That early life, marked by
instability, violence, and
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repeated contact with the
criminal justice system, had
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been the beginning of a
trajectory that would ultimately
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leave dozens of victims across
the United States.
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By the early 1970s,
investigators believed that
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Samuel Little had already begun.
The pattern of violence would
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eventually make him have the
most confirmed kills in American
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history.
While many of the exact dates
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are difficult to determine, law
enforcement now believe his
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earliest murders likely began
during this period, the early
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1970s.
At the time, however, no one
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realized that a serial predator
was operating.
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Little's victims are almost
always women who did not really
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exist in regular society.
They were sex workers, women
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struggling with addiction,
people experiencing poverty and
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unstable housing.
These are people whose lives
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were already complicated, and
they were often invisible to the
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systems meant to protect them.
When they disappeared.
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They were often few people even
advocating for them, and some
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cases missing persons reports
were delayed or never filed at
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all.
This vulnerability made them
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easier targets for someone like
Little, who frequently
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encountered these women in areas
where they were seeking rides,
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money, or some kind of
assistance.
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His method of killing also
helped him evade detection.
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For decades, Little typically
murdered his victims through
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strangulation.
His hands were his weapon.
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Because strangulation requires
no gun, no knife, and leaves
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behind far less trace evidence.
There was no Ballistics to
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trace, no murder women for
investigators to recover.
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And some cases, particularly
when a victim had a history of
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substance abuse or when the body
was discovered long after it
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death, the cause of death was
even misinterpreted.
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They didn't even know that the
person had been strangled.
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After killing his victims,
Liville often disposed of their
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bodies in very remote areas.
Empty fields, wooded areas,
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abandoned buildings along
highways.
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Sometimes these bodies weren't
discovered for months or even
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years.
In other cases, the remains were
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found, but the victim was never
even reported missing.
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We'd never gotten chance to
identify them.
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And without that identification,
investigators had virtually
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nothing to work with.
It became extremely difficult to
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determine where the victim had
last been seen, who she had been
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seen with, or what circumstances
even led to her death in the 1st
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place.
Another major factor that
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allowed Little to operate
undetected was his own transient
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lifestyle.
He wasn't just killing other
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transient people, he lived that
too.
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He moved constantly, traveling
from different state to
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different state all throughout
the Seventies, 80s and 90s.
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This was Florida, Texas,
California, Mississippi,
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Arkansas.
Sometimes the crimes will be
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committed thousands of miles
apart and during that time
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period police departments didn't
have the centralized databases
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or communication systems that we
have today.
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Crimes committed in different
jurisdictions were often never
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compared and information sharing
between departments was almost
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non existent and definitely
inconsistent.
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Investigators also face
challenges because some victims
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were initially believed to have
died from other causes.
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When a body was discovered and
the victim had a Clear History
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of drug use or unstable living
conditions, that death could be
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assumed to be an overdose,
assumed to be an accident.
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A lot of the original victims
were deemed to have died from
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exposure instead of homicide.
Essentially, the cops went well,
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this person got high and fell
asleep somewhere they weren't
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supposed to and died because it
was too cold outside, or died
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because it was too hot outside.
Outside.
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These assumptions sometimes
delayed investigations or just
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limit the amount of resources
that were devoted to the case.
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Jurisdictional barriers are
still a problem in the United
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States, honestly, even though we
do have these national databases
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now.
Every Police Department is
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ultimately responsible for
investigating the crimes within
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their own city or county.
And without any clear evidence
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that links the cases together,
detectives don't really have a
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reason to suspect that a similar
death in a different state would
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be connected to one happening in
their jurisdiction.
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Unless there is clear DNA
evidence through the CODIS
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system or the crime is so
sensational and out there that
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it's just, oh, that weird case
happened in California and we're
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over here in Florida.
Unless it's something like that,
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they really have no reason to
think that they need to overstep
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their boundaries, and most of
them don't really want to.
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I mean, a lot of police
departments across the country
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right now are underfunded and
understaffed.
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It's not really this awesome
high profile job that people
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love for you to be a cop.
Combining all these factors and
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adding in that the
marginalization of the victims.
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And honestly, there wasn't
really a lot of advocacy
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networks back then either.
These cases just never received
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much of A sustained
investigation.
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All this together created the
perfect conditions for someone
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like Samuel Little to operate
completely undetected,
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vulnerable victims, no evidence
left behind, and the crimes so
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scattered using our own
disjointed justice system
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against us.
And as a result, all these
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murders remained isolated
incidents for decades, almost 40
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years, completely invisible case
files set on shelves, victims
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when unidentified.
And the connections between them
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remained hidden.
Well, until 2012, when what
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first appeared to be a routine
arrest at a homeless shelter in
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Louisville, KY, would expose the
true scale of Samuel Little's
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00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:52,200
crimes.
Now I have to give you some back
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00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:56,160
story here because now the CODIS
system is called the Combined
223
00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,560
DNA Index System and it was
created in 1990 as a pilot
224
00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:03,080
software project by the FBI to
connect 14 state and local
225
00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:06,480
laboratories was formally
established on a national level.
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00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:10,120
They called the NDIS following
the DNA Identification Act of
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00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:14,240
1994, and then the national
database became operational in
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00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:17,480
October of 1998, linking all 50
states.
229
00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:23,280
And so that's why we didn't have
the information to catch someone
230
00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:27,720
like Samuel Little until he got
caught for the first time in
231
00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:33,680
decades, September 5th, 2015.
He got arrested at a homeless
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00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:36,920
shelter in Louisville, KY on
narcotics charges.
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00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,000
At first, the arrest seemed
relatively minor compared to the
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00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,280
long list of other offenses on
his record.
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00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:47,200
But when they took him into
custody, they ran his
236
00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,320
information through the national
CODIS database and they
237
00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:52,280
discovered something that will
completely shift the
238
00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:56,160
investigation.
His DNA matched evidence that
239
00:12:56,160 --> 00:13:00,800
was collected from three
unsolved murders in Los Angeles.
240
00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,080
Those murders had taken place
decades earlier and involved
241
00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:07,280
women who had been strangled.
The DNA evidence allowed
242
00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:09,720
investigators to link little
directly to the crimes,
243
00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,760
something that had never been
possible when it originally
244
00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:15,440
occurred.
And in 2014, he was extradited
245
00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:19,480
to California to stand trial,
and by 2018, he was convicted of
246
00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,320
three murders and sentenced to
life in prison without the
247
00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,360
possibility of parole.
Even after circuit hearing
248
00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:27,360
conviction, though,
investigators suspected that
249
00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,560
this case was far from over
because the detectives that were
250
00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:33,080
reviewing Little's criminal
history and travel patterns
251
00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:34,960
started to notice something
scary.
252
00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:39,320
For decades, every time he moved
from one state to another, there
253
00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:43,160
were numerous unsolved murders
involving strangulating women
254
00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:47,640
and places specifically that
Little lived or had traveled
255
00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:50,480
through.
Some investigators suspected
256
00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,720
they were looking at a serial
killer whose crimes had never
257
00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:56,520
been fully uncovered.
That suspicion eventually peaked
258
00:13:56,520 --> 00:14:00,680
the interest of Texas Ranger
James Holland, and James Holland
259
00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:03,480
began interviewing Little while
he was serving his life
260
00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:05,880
sentence.
Holland was working these cold
261
00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:10,080
cases in Texas, and he believed
that Little was responsible for
262
00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:12,760
several of the unsolved murders
that he was looking into.
263
00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:16,280
So in 2018, he traveled to
California to speak with him,
264
00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:19,160
hoping that he could just get
some information about that
265
00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:22,640
case.
At first the conversation was
266
00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,840
slow, very cautious, but over
time, Little began to trust him
267
00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,440
and began to talk.
And what followed would become
268
00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:33,000
one of the most significant
confession series in modern
269
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,120
criminal investigations.
During multiple interviews,
270
00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:39,640
Little would describe murders
that had occurred across the
271
00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,800
country over several decades.
He provided details about the
272
00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,240
victims, location,
circumstances, recalling events
273
00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:48,680
from the 70s and 80s with
unbelievable clarity.
274
00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,600
During one interview, Holland
asked him how he chose his
275
00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:55,920
victims, and Little reportedly
said, I don't pick them, I let
276
00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,880
them pick me.
He claimed that many of the
277
00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:02,000
women approached him first,
asking for a ride or for some
278
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,560
assistance, and his mind that
meant that they had chosen to
279
00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,840
have this encounter with him.
Investigators later noted that
280
00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,440
this framing was a way for
Little to psychologically
281
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,480
distance himself from
responsibility.
282
00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,640
Even though he knew he was the
one who ultimately attacked and
283
00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:19,320
killed these women, He had to
give himself some kind of
284
00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:22,080
rationale.
In another moment that disturbed
285
00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:24,920
investigators, Little was asked
why he chose strangulation
286
00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,360
rather than a weapon, and
according to interview notes, he
287
00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:30,280
simply raised his hands and said
you don't need a gun, all you
288
00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:33,000
need is these.
Holland later recalled that
289
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:35,640
Little often spoke about the
murders with little emotion,
290
00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:39,320
sometimes even smiling as he
described events that took place
291
00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:43,680
decades before.
Investigators also noticed
292
00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:45,800
something unusual about the way
Little's memory worked.
293
00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,920
He struggled to remember basic
timeline details, such as exact
294
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,880
year, city or even what name he
had been using while he was
295
00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,680
driving through that area.
But when he was asked about the
296
00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,960
women themselves, his
recollection was remarkably
297
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:02,600
precise.
He could describe the victim's
298
00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,880
appearance in vivid detail, her
hair color, height, clothing,
299
00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,760
the smallest physical feature
like a freckle scar or gap in
300
00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,080
her tooth.
And some cases he even remember
301
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,920
the way she laughed or the final
word she spoke before he
302
00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,240
attacked her.
Holland later said that Little
303
00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:21,400
seemed to remember the crimes
visually, almost as if he were
304
00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,640
replaying these scenes from a
movie in his mind.
305
00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,880
That ability LED investigators
to ask him to draw the women he
306
00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,960
remembered, and Little began
sketching portraits of victims
307
00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,960
from memory, recalling their
faces from the crimes that he
308
00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:37,960
committed 30 some years before.
The drawings were detailed
309
00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:41,600
enough that the FBI eventually
released them to the public in
310
00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,160
hopes that someone would
recognize these women, who have
311
00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:46,440
remained unidentified now for
decades.
312
00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:49,280
Perhaps the most disturbing
detail Little shared during
313
00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:51,440
these interviews was what stayed
with him the longest.
314
00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,200
He said the moment he remembered
most clearly was not the act of
315
00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,600
killing those women, but the
moment just before it happened,
316
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:01,800
the moment when his victim
realized she was in mortal
317
00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,640
danger.
Eventually, Little confessed to
318
00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,000
killing 93 women.
The number stunned
319
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,720
investigators.
If this was accurate, it would
320
00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:12,359
make him the most prolific
serial killer in American
321
00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:14,640
history.
As detectives began reviewing
322
00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,839
the information, many of the
descriptions matched unsolved
323
00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:21,520
cases, some that were still
open.
324
00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:25,640
Some details, he recalled, were
so specific that investigators
325
00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,119
were able to connect them
directly to existing case files.
326
00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:30,880
The portraits he drew also
proved significant.
327
00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:35,440
In several cases, families and
friends recognize the women in
328
00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,080
the sketches and contacted
authorities, helping
329
00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:42,160
investigators finally identify
missing persons victims who had
330
00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,200
been unknown for decades.
By the time the interviews
331
00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,440
concluded, investigators had
started the long process of
332
00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:50,960
verifying Little's claims and
matching them to unsolved
333
00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:54,640
murders across the country.
Dozens of cases have already
334
00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:57,120
been have already been
confirmed, and investigators
335
00:17:57,120 --> 00:17:59,120
believe more may eventually be
linked to him.
336
00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,520
What began as a simple drug
arrest in Kentucky revealed a
337
00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:04,280
criminal career that had
remained hidden.
338
00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:08,560
Now, one of the most important
parts of the story isn't the man
339
00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,240
who committed these crimes.
It's the women whose lives were
340
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,920
taken and whose names were
ignored and forgotten for many
341
00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:17,440
years.
The victims connected to Samuel
342
00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:19,160
Little were treated as anonymous
statistics.
343
00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:22,440
Many were sex workers, women
struggling with addiction,
344
00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:25,960
people living on that side of
society we don't like to think
345
00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:28,160
about.
And when they disappeared, their
346
00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:30,040
cases were often not
investigated.
347
00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:32,280
This with the same urgency given
other victims.
348
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:34,800
Some were listed as identified
Gene Doe's.
349
00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,400
Others were simply filed away as
missing people who were never
350
00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,680
found.
But as investigators worked
351
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:41,640
slowly through Little's
confessions and the portraits he
352
00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,640
drew from memory, something
began to change.
353
00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,000
Slowly, these women started to
get their names back.
354
00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,200
So for a moment, we're going to
stop talking about the killer
355
00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:55,880
and say their names.
Melinda Lapre.
356
00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,040
Guadalupe Apodaca.
Carol.
357
00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,600
Linda Alford.
Gwendolyn Moore.
358
00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,480
Audrey Nelson Everett.
Evelyn Weston.
359
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:14,480
Yvonne Hill, Daisy McGuire, Xena
Marie Jones, Annie Lee Stewart
360
00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:21,800
Rose Evans, Margaret Peggy
Phelps, Denise Brothers, Linda
361
00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:29,520
Jackson, Joanne Gay, Nancy Carol
Stevens, Mary Jo Payton, Barbara
362
00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:36,600
Barrow, Rosetta Bishop, Deborah
Jackson, who for nearly 40 years
363
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:40,960
had been known only as Orange
Socks and most recently Yvonne
364
00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:46,560
Plus, was identified in 2023
after decades being known as
365
00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:50,640
Macon Jane Doe.
Unfortunately, investigators
366
00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:52,920
believe there are still many
victims connected to Little who
367
00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:55,920
remain unidentified.
The FBI has linked him to
368
00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:58,520
multiple Jane Doe cases across
the United States, but because
369
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,760
many of these women were never
even reported missing in the
370
00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:03,640
first place.
And records from the 1970s and
371
00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,680
80s are incomplete.
Their identities may never be
372
00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:09,400
known.
Each of these names represent a
373
00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:14,760
person who had a life became
Each of these names represents a
374
00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:18,000
person who had a life before
they became part of a police
375
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,520
file.
They had families, friends,
376
00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:24,400
childhood memories, and futures
that were stolen from them for
377
00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:25,920
decades.
Many of these women were
378
00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:29,760
dismissed or overlooked because
of their circumstances, but the
379
00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,560
work of investigators, forensic
scientists, and families who
380
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,360
never stopped searching has
helped restore some of their
381
00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:38,480
identities.
And there are still many more
382
00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:40,880
victims whose names we may never
actually know.
383
00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:46,080
But telling their stories and
saying their names ensures that
384
00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:50,520
they are no longer invisible.
Because while Samuel Little may
385
00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:53,520
be remembered for the number of
murders he committed, the real
386
00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:56,400
story is about the women whose
lives mattered even when the
387
00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:09,720
world failed to notice them.
One of the most difficult truths
388
00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,360
revealed by the crimes of Samuel
Little is not just how long he
389
00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:16,480
was able to kill, but why it
took so long for anyone to
390
00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,040
realize what was happening.
His case exposed something
391
00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:23,080
deeply uncomfortable about the
way the society, and sometimes
392
00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,720
the criminal justice system,
values certain victims more than
393
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,680
it values others.
Many of Little's victims were
394
00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:33,760
transient women.
Some were sex workers, addicts,
395
00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:38,800
homeless, living in unstable
situations, women of color.
396
00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:42,920
And these circumstances made
them especially vulnerable, but
397
00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,120
only to violence, but being
overlooked after their
398
00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:47,840
disappearances.
In the United States, there are
399
00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,880
long documented disparities in
how homicide victims are
400
00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,920
investigated and reported,
depending on race, economic
401
00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:55,960
status, and social
circumstances.
402
00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:59,000
Studies have shown that cases
involving white victims,
403
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,160
particularly white women, tend
to receive more media attention
404
00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:05,000
and in many cases, more
investigative resources.
405
00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:08,360
Meanwhile, cases involving Black
victims, Indigenous victims, and
406
00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:11,400
people living in poverty also
receive far less coverage and
407
00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:13,680
urgency.
This imbalance has sometimes
408
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,640
been referred to by journalists
and researchers as the Missing
409
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,320
White Woman Syndrome,
highlighting how media and
410
00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,920
public attention are not always
distributed equally.
411
00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:24,720
Even in my own journey as a true
crime researcher and
412
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,240
commentator, I have seen this
imbalance play out in real life.
413
00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:29,960
My first national case fell
under what people would
414
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:31,880
recognize as Missing White Woman
syndrome.
415
00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,200
I was brought in to participate
in a 2020 documentary about the
416
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,400
disappearance and murder of
Gabby Petito, and while she
417
00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,720
absolutely deserved to be found
and her killer exposed, the
418
00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,640
urgency around her disappearance
had a distinctive fervor because
419
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,760
she was young, beautiful, and
yes, white.
420
00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:51,040
Meanwhile, so many missing women
and girls appear on my news
421
00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,600
tracker every single day, and
they receive one article, if
422
00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:57,120
they're lucky, maybe 1 Amber
Alert.
423
00:22:57,360 --> 00:22:59,480
And then I never hear about them
ever again.
424
00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:03,080
I look up their names and it
just never tells me whether this
425
00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:06,040
person was found.
Their stories disappear from the
426
00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:09,400
news cycle almost as quickly as
they appear, and honestly, it
427
00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,600
just feels unfair.
In cases like Samuel Little's,
428
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:17,560
these disparities create the
perfect environment for someone
429
00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:20,320
who operates without drawing
widespread alarm.
430
00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,080
Many of his victims were people
whose lives were already
431
00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:28,720
complicated, so complicated by
poverty, addiction and unstable
432
00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:30,880
housing.
When individuals in these
433
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,680
situations disappear, their
absences are often just
434
00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:38,360
explained away.
Well, they assume she just
435
00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:42,880
moved, she left town, maybe she
became even more of an addict
436
00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:46,080
than she already was.
This delays missing persons
437
00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,440
reports.
It slows down investigations
438
00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:51,560
before they can ever begin.
Within the criminal justice
439
00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:54,320
system, these assumptions can
sometimes influence how cases
440
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,360
are initially approached.
When the victim is perceived as
441
00:23:57,360 --> 00:24:01,120
being involved in risky behavior
like sex work, there's an
442
00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:04,560
unspoken tendency to treat that
death as less urgent and less
443
00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:07,480
solvable.
In some cases, the death might
444
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,880
be misclassified entirely.
If you're an addict, a lot of
445
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,040
things that don't seem to make
much sense get classified as an
446
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,680
overdose or an accident or
exposure.
447
00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,200
Even though if you just spent a
little bit more time
448
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:22,720
investigating this crime scene,
it would be very obvious that
449
00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:25,080
this person did not die from an
overdose.
450
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,640
This lack of urgency does not
necessarily come from malice on
451
00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,840
the part of investigators.
Often it reflects systemic
452
00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:35,520
limitations, heavy caseloads,
the assumptions that exist
453
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:39,440
within society as a whole.
But the impact is still so real.
454
00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:43,440
When victims are seen as
problematic or disposable, and
455
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:47,040
fewer resources are devoted to
finding the answers, that means
456
00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:48,760
that people get away with
murder.
457
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:53,040
And for the families of these
victims, the lack of empathy is
458
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,240
devastating.
Many people spend years trying
459
00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:59,600
to convince authorities that
their loved ones matter and
460
00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,720
their disappearances deserve
some kind of attention.
461
00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:07,040
In some of these cases, they
waited decades before receiving
462
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:09,920
confirmation of what they had
assumed already happened.
463
00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,160
The investigation into Samuel
Little ultimately forced many
464
00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,200
agencies to re examine cases
long forgotten.
465
00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,680
It highlighted how easily
violence remains hidden when it
466
00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,280
targets people whose lives are
already marginalized.
467
00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:28,040
The lesson from this case is not
about one man's crime, but also
468
00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,960
the need for equal urgency,
equal compassion, and equal
469
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,360
investigation for every victim
regardless of their race,
470
00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:40,360
income, or their circumstance.
Samuel Little died December
471
00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:44,320
30th, 2020 at the age of 80
years old while serving multiple
472
00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:46,520
life sentences in California
State Prison.
473
00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:50,000
At the time of his death, he was
being held at California State
474
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,760
Prison, Los Angeles County,
where he had been transferred
475
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,720
after his conviction for those 3
murders in Los Angeles.
476
00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:58,200
According to the California
Department of Corrections and
477
00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,200
Rehabilitation, Little died of
natural causes after several
478
00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:04,200
years of declining health.
By the time he died, Samuel
479
00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,080
Little had already confessed to
killing 93 women across the US,
480
00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:11,280
those murders spanning from the
early 1970s into the mid 2000s.
481
00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:14,000
Investigators from the FBI and
multiple law enforcement
482
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,800
agencies have spent years
working to verify these claims
483
00:26:17,360 --> 00:26:19,000
through a combination of DA
evidence.
484
00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:22,480
Through a combination of DNA
evidence, case records and
485
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,440
details only the killer could
know, authorities have been able
486
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:27,680
to confirm many of the murders
he described.
487
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,520
As of the most recent updates
from the FBI, investigators have
488
00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:34,320
confirmed at least 60 of
Little's victims.
489
00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:36,960
That number alone makes him the
most prolific.
490
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,720
However, his own statement
suggests that number is higher.
491
00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:43,920
If Little's confessions are
accurate, there are still 33
492
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:46,720
women whose deaths remain
unconfirmed and whose identities
493
00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:49,800
have not been discovered in the
years leading up to his death.
494
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,880
He continued to cooperate with
investigators after those
495
00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:56,480
initial interviews with the
Texas Ranger in 2018, law
496
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,440
enforcement officials from all
across the country started
497
00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,120
flying to California to speak
with him about their own
498
00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:05,000
unsolved murders that matched
his known patterns.
499
00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:08,440
And these interviews did result
in additional confessions and
500
00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:13,120
new leads in cold cases that
were dormant for decades, even
501
00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:15,480
as hell.
Even as his health declined,
502
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:17,640
investigators continued
reviewing the statements,
503
00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:21,520
comparing them with old case
files, missing persons reports,
504
00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:23,920
forensic evidence.
In some cases, the details he
505
00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:28,640
provided reopen investigations.
However, Little ultimately died
506
00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,520
before every confession could be
fully investigated, and today
507
00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,160
dozens of his alleged victims
remain unidentified.
508
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:39,240
Several cases he described have
yet to be matched to a specific
509
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,040
missing person or any recovered
remains.
510
00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,440
The work of identifying those
victims is ongoing.
511
00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,680
Law enforcement agencies,
forensic genealogists and
512
00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:51,400
families of missing people
continue to review the evidence
513
00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,320
Little left behind, including
his confessions and the
514
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,640
portraits he drew from memory.
Even after his death, the
515
00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,200
investigation into Samuel
Little's crimes continue as
516
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,840
authorities work to uncover the
names and stories of the women
517
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:07,960
who have yet to be found.
The most disturbing part of this
518
00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,280
story is not just what Samuel
Little did, it's how long he was
519
00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:14,400
able to do it.
Almost 40 years.
520
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:18,960
Women disappeared across the US.
No one realized the pattern.
521
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,960
The victims were poor.
They were struggling with
522
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,120
addiction.
They were sex workers.
523
00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,200
They were women of color.
They were exactly the kind of
524
00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:31,960
people society tries to forget.
Former FBI profiler Robert
525
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:35,160
Ressler once said serial killers
hunt where the vulnerable live.
526
00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,960
If no one notices the victims
are missing, the killer can keep
527
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,600
hunting.
Samuel Little used that.
528
00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:44,960
And the uncomfortable truth is
that the conditions that allowed
529
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,600
him to kill for 40 years did not
disappear when he died.
530
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:52,080
Every year in the United States,
thousands of people are reported
531
00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,520
missing.
Some are found, many are not.
532
00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:59,880
And when the victims are poor,
homeless, addicted, living on
533
00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:03,760
the street, those cases still
receive little attention.
534
00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:07,160
Their stories still disappear
from the headlines, and their
535
00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,120
names fame from public memory.
Which means somewhere in America
536
00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,160
tonight, another missing person
report is being filed.
537
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,520
Another case file is being
opened.
538
00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,160
And there's always the
possibility that another pattern
539
00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:22,320
is forming, one that no one has
noticed yet.
540
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,320
Because predators don't just
rely on violence.
541
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:29,000
They rely on silence.
They rely on indifference.
542
00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:33,120
They rely on the assumption that
some people matter less than
543
00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,560
others.
But eventually, the truth
544
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:38,480
catches up.
And when it does, it always
545
00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:43,040
leaves something behind.
A name, a case file, a trail.
546
00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:47,200
And if someone is willing to
follow it long enough, the truth
547
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:51,160
always leaves a trail.
For the women whose names were
548
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:55,120
lost for decades, that trail
finally LED back to them.
549
00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:59,720
My name is Brittany Ransom, and
this has been when killers get
550
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,200
caught.
See you next week.
00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,320
The night was quiet, the kind of
quiet that makes every small
2
00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:09,960
sound feel louder than it
should.
3
00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:15,320
Somewhere in America, sometime
in the 1970s, a woman got into a
4
00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:18,960
car with a stranger.
Not exactly a new concept.
5
00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:21,880
Maybe she thought it was just
another trip.
6
00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,080
Maybe she needed money.
Maybe she just trusted the wrong
7
00:00:26,080 --> 00:00:30,080
person.
For a few minutes, no gunshots,
8
00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:31,920
no screams.
Anyone could hear.
9
00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:35,600
No witnesses.
Just a pair of hands around her
10
00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,360
throat.
And then silence.
11
00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:43,440
At first, it looked like an
isolated tragedy, a woman lost
12
00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,160
somewhere on the margins of
society.
13
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,040
But then it happened again and
again.
14
00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,080
For decades, women disappeared
like this across the United
15
00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,840
States.
Florida, Texas, California,
16
00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,000
Mississippi, Arkansas.
Women who lived on the edge of
17
00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,360
society.
Women whose disappearances were
18
00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:03,280
often dismissed, misclassified,
or barely investigated at all.
19
00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,080
Women whose names many people
never even learned.
20
00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,280
The cases were scattered across
different cities, different
21
00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,520
decades, and different police
departments that never realized
22
00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:17,200
they were all chasing the same
man because the man responsible
23
00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:22,400
kept moving city to city, state
to state, decade to decade.
24
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:24,760
And for years, no one saw the
pattern.
25
00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:27,520
Not because the clues weren't
there, but because the victims
26
00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,160
were the kind of people society
often forgets.
27
00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,480
By the time the investigators
finally stopped him, he had been
28
00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,880
killing for more than 30 years.
And when he finally began to
29
00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,160
talk, he didn't confess to a
handful of murders.
30
00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:48,440
He confessed to 93, making him
the most prolific serial killer
31
00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:53,680
in American history.
I'm Brittany Ransom, and this is
32
00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,520
When Killers Get Caught, the
podcast where we examine the
33
00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:00,440
lives, behaviors and psychology
become the most extreme acts of
34
00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,920
violence.
And what happens when the truth
35
00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,760
finally catches up.
You've been asking me to cover
36
00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:10,960
this case since 2020, so tonight
we're finally diving in.
37
00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,840
This is the story of Samuel
Little, the man who strangled
38
00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:17,840
dozens of women across America
while their cases slipped
39
00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,240
quietly into forgotten police
files.
40
00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,080
Samuel Little was born on June
7th, 1940 in Reynolds, Georgia.
41
00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,920
His early life was marked by
instability and hardship that
42
00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:31,040
could follow him well into
adulthood.
43
00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:33,640
Little's mother, who was
believed to have been involved
44
00:02:33,640 --> 00:02:36,160
in sex work, was frequently
absent during his childhood.
45
00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,200
Because of this, he was raised
primarily by his grandmother in
46
00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:42,080
Lorain, OH.
While his grandmother provided a
47
00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,320
home for him, Little's
upbringing was far from stable,
48
00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,280
and many who later studied his
life pointed to these early
49
00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:51,680
years as the beginning of a long
pattern of behavioral problems.
50
00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,080
As a child, Little reportedly
struggled in school.
51
00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:57,240
He had difficulty fitting in
socially.
52
00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,720
Teachers and classmates
described him as disruptive,
53
00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:02,800
prone to getting in trouble.
Some reports suggest that he
54
00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,440
experienced bullying in
isolation, which may have
55
00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,040
contributed to his growing anger
and resentment toward other
56
00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,120
people during his youth.
Little also claimed to have
57
00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,440
suffered a serious head injury,
something investigators and
58
00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:17,400
psychologists later took note of
while examining his behavior.
59
00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,240
The details of the incident,
however, remain uncertain.
60
00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,880
According to Little's own
account, he was struck in the
61
00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:25,520
head by another student during a
fight at school and was knocked
62
00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:27,560
unconscious.
He later told doctors
63
00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,320
investigators that he remained
unconscious for several hours
64
00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,320
and that the incident occurred
when he was in still in
65
00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:35,680
elementary school.
Well, the story may sound
66
00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:37,200
dramatic.
Injuries like this are not
67
00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,320
unheard of.
In fact, cases of children
68
00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,360
suffering severe or even fatal
head trauma from school fights
69
00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,760
have occurred recently.
So the scenario itself is not
70
00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:47,960
impossible.
However, it's important to be
71
00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:49,800
transparent about the source of
this claim.
72
00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,840
There are no publicly confirmed
medical records that document
73
00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:55,080
this injury.
The only information about it
74
00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,320
comes from statements Little
made during interviews after his
75
00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,440
arrest, particularly in
conversations with Texas Ranger
76
00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,920
James Holland.
While it is impossible to say
77
00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,760
exactly how much this injury
influences later actions, head
78
00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,680
trauma has often been associated
with impulse control problems
79
00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:15,680
and aggressive behavior.
By the time Little reached his
80
00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,240
teenage years, he'd already
begun developing a pattern of
81
00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:20,360
criminal activity.
His first arrest came as a
82
00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,920
teenager, primarily for theft.
Petty crimes will begin as minor
83
00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:26,960
offenses quickly escalated into
more serious acts of violence.
84
00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,520
Records show that he frequently
got into fights and displayed
85
00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:31,680
increasingly aggressive behavior
toward others.
86
00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:33,840
These early run insurance with
the loss of the stage.
87
00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:36,600
For a lifetime spent cycling in
and out of the criminal justice
88
00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:40,280
system, Little's adult life
became defined by constant
89
00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:43,120
movement and a repeated arrest
across multiple states.
90
00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:46,360
Throughout the 60s and 70s, he
was arrested numerous times for
91
00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,400
crimes including theft, fraud,
assault, and driving under the
92
00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:51,280
influence.
One of his earliest known
93
00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:55,680
violent crimes occurred in 1975.
He was arrested for beating and
94
00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,240
strangling a woman in Florida.
Although the victim survived and
95
00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,200
Little served time for the
attack, the incident
96
00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,560
foreshadowed the method he would
later use in the majority of his
97
00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:07,160
murders.
Over the course of his life,
98
00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:11,560
Samuel Little spent decades
behind bars for a variety of
99
00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:13,960
offenses.
Investigators estimate that he
100
00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,560
spent roughly half of his adult
life in prison or jail.
101
00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,680
However, because many of his
sentences were for relatively
102
00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,560
short periods of time, he was
repeatedly released back into
103
00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:25,720
society.
Each release allowed him to
104
00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:28,160
travel to new cities and states,
making it extremely difficult
105
00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,560
for law enforcement to connect
crimes that occurred hundreds or
106
00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:34,800
even thousands of miles apart.
This constant cycle of arrest,
107
00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:37,480
incarceration, and release
create a situation where little
108
00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:40,280
was frequently on the radar of
police, but rarely held long
109
00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:42,480
enough to stop his escalating
violence.
110
00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,480
His criminal history was
extensive, but because his
111
00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,120
offenses were so scattered, no
single department ever really
112
00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,160
got a complete picture of the
threat he possessed.
113
00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:55,400
By the time investigators would
finally uncover the full scope
114
00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,640
of his crimes decades later,
became clear that the troubled
115
00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,240
boy from Reynolds, Georgia, had
grown into one of the most
116
00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:03,080
prolific serial killers in
American history.
117
00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:06,520
That early life, marked by
instability, violence, and
118
00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,160
repeated contact with the
criminal justice system, had
119
00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:11,720
been the beginning of a
trajectory that would ultimately
120
00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,440
leave dozens of victims across
the United States.
121
00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,160
By the early 1970s,
investigators believed that
122
00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,480
Samuel Little had already begun.
The pattern of violence would
123
00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:25,360
eventually make him have the
most confirmed kills in American
124
00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:27,320
history.
While many of the exact dates
125
00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:29,440
are difficult to determine, law
enforcement now believe his
126
00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,360
earliest murders likely began
during this period, the early
127
00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,680
1970s.
At the time, however, no one
128
00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:36,720
realized that a serial predator
was operating.
129
00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:40,560
Little's victims are almost
always women who did not really
130
00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,560
exist in regular society.
They were sex workers, women
131
00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,840
struggling with addiction,
people experiencing poverty and
132
00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:49,400
unstable housing.
These are people whose lives
133
00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,760
were already complicated, and
they were often invisible to the
134
00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,240
systems meant to protect them.
When they disappeared.
135
00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:58,560
They were often few people even
advocating for them, and some
136
00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,480
cases missing persons reports
were delayed or never filed at
137
00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:03,640
all.
This vulnerability made them
138
00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:07,040
easier targets for someone like
Little, who frequently
139
00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:09,320
encountered these women in areas
where they were seeking rides,
140
00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:10,960
money, or some kind of
assistance.
141
00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,000
His method of killing also
helped him evade detection.
142
00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,560
For decades, Little typically
murdered his victims through
143
00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,200
strangulation.
His hands were his weapon.
144
00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,040
Because strangulation requires
no gun, no knife, and leaves
145
00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,320
behind far less trace evidence.
There was no Ballistics to
146
00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:27,680
trace, no murder women for
investigators to recover.
147
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,440
And some cases, particularly
when a victim had a history of
148
00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,680
substance abuse or when the body
was discovered long after it
149
00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,880
death, the cause of death was
even misinterpreted.
150
00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,240
They didn't even know that the
person had been strangled.
151
00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:43,000
After killing his victims,
Liville often disposed of their
152
00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:47,240
bodies in very remote areas.
Empty fields, wooded areas,
153
00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:49,560
abandoned buildings along
highways.
154
00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,520
Sometimes these bodies weren't
discovered for months or even
155
00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:54,920
years.
In other cases, the remains were
156
00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:58,720
found, but the victim was never
even reported missing.
157
00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,320
We'd never gotten chance to
identify them.
158
00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,800
And without that identification,
investigators had virtually
159
00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,560
nothing to work with.
It became extremely difficult to
160
00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,520
determine where the victim had
last been seen, who she had been
161
00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:13,960
seen with, or what circumstances
even led to her death in the 1st
162
00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:16,640
place.
Another major factor that
163
00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,480
allowed Little to operate
undetected was his own transient
164
00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,080
lifestyle.
He wasn't just killing other
165
00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:24,400
transient people, he lived that
too.
166
00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,080
He moved constantly, traveling
from different state to
167
00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:31,320
different state all throughout
the Seventies, 80s and 90s.
168
00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,559
This was Florida, Texas,
California, Mississippi,
169
00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,320
Arkansas.
Sometimes the crimes will be
170
00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:40,840
committed thousands of miles
apart and during that time
171
00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,760
period police departments didn't
have the centralized databases
172
00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:46,000
or communication systems that we
have today.
173
00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:49,920
Crimes committed in different
jurisdictions were often never
174
00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:54,280
compared and information sharing
between departments was almost
175
00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:56,880
non existent and definitely
inconsistent.
176
00:08:57,680 --> 00:09:00,120
Investigators also face
challenges because some victims
177
00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,240
were initially believed to have
died from other causes.
178
00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,520
When a body was discovered and
the victim had a Clear History
179
00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:09,920
of drug use or unstable living
conditions, that death could be
180
00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,240
assumed to be an overdose,
assumed to be an accident.
181
00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,800
A lot of the original victims
were deemed to have died from
182
00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,760
exposure instead of homicide.
Essentially, the cops went well,
183
00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,040
this person got high and fell
asleep somewhere they weren't
184
00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,680
supposed to and died because it
was too cold outside, or died
185
00:09:26,680 --> 00:09:28,240
because it was too hot outside.
Outside.
186
00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:33,600
These assumptions sometimes
delayed investigations or just
187
00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:36,480
limit the amount of resources
that were devoted to the case.
188
00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:41,720
Jurisdictional barriers are
still a problem in the United
189
00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:45,000
States, honestly, even though we
do have these national databases
190
00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,200
now.
Every Police Department is
191
00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:50,280
ultimately responsible for
investigating the crimes within
192
00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:53,640
their own city or county.
And without any clear evidence
193
00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,440
that links the cases together,
detectives don't really have a
194
00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,800
reason to suspect that a similar
death in a different state would
195
00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,320
be connected to one happening in
their jurisdiction.
196
00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:08,040
Unless there is clear DNA
evidence through the CODIS
197
00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:12,600
system or the crime is so
sensational and out there that
198
00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:17,360
it's just, oh, that weird case
happened in California and we're
199
00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:20,560
over here in Florida.
Unless it's something like that,
200
00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,760
they really have no reason to
think that they need to overstep
201
00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:27,040
their boundaries, and most of
them don't really want to.
202
00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,800
I mean, a lot of police
departments across the country
203
00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,840
right now are underfunded and
understaffed.
204
00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:40,200
It's not really this awesome
high profile job that people
205
00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:46,080
love for you to be a cop.
Combining all these factors and
206
00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:48,360
adding in that the
marginalization of the victims.
207
00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,560
And honestly, there wasn't
really a lot of advocacy
208
00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:56,400
networks back then either.
These cases just never received
209
00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:58,640
much of A sustained
investigation.
210
00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:03,360
All this together created the
perfect conditions for someone
211
00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,160
like Samuel Little to operate
completely undetected,
212
00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:12,120
vulnerable victims, no evidence
left behind, and the crimes so
213
00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,480
scattered using our own
disjointed justice system
214
00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,560
against us.
And as a result, all these
215
00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:22,960
murders remained isolated
incidents for decades, almost 40
216
00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:30,200
years, completely invisible case
files set on shelves, victims
217
00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:32,320
when unidentified.
And the connections between them
218
00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:37,760
remained hidden.
Well, until 2012, when what
219
00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,320
first appeared to be a routine
arrest at a homeless shelter in
220
00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:44,200
Louisville, KY, would expose the
true scale of Samuel Little's
221
00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:52,200
crimes.
Now I have to give you some back
222
00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:56,160
story here because now the CODIS
system is called the Combined
223
00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,560
DNA Index System and it was
created in 1990 as a pilot
224
00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:03,080
software project by the FBI to
connect 14 state and local
225
00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:06,480
laboratories was formally
established on a national level.
226
00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:10,120
They called the NDIS following
the DNA Identification Act of
227
00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:14,240
1994, and then the national
database became operational in
228
00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:17,480
October of 1998, linking all 50
states.
229
00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:23,280
And so that's why we didn't have
the information to catch someone
230
00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:27,720
like Samuel Little until he got
caught for the first time in
231
00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:33,680
decades, September 5th, 2015.
He got arrested at a homeless
232
00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:36,920
shelter in Louisville, KY on
narcotics charges.
233
00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,000
At first, the arrest seemed
relatively minor compared to the
234
00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,280
long list of other offenses on
his record.
235
00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:47,200
But when they took him into
custody, they ran his
236
00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,320
information through the national
CODIS database and they
237
00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:52,280
discovered something that will
completely shift the
238
00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:56,160
investigation.
His DNA matched evidence that
239
00:12:56,160 --> 00:13:00,800
was collected from three
unsolved murders in Los Angeles.
240
00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,080
Those murders had taken place
decades earlier and involved
241
00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:07,280
women who had been strangled.
The DNA evidence allowed
242
00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:09,720
investigators to link little
directly to the crimes,
243
00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,760
something that had never been
possible when it originally
244
00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:15,440
occurred.
And in 2014, he was extradited
245
00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:19,480
to California to stand trial,
and by 2018, he was convicted of
246
00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,320
three murders and sentenced to
life in prison without the
247
00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,360
possibility of parole.
Even after circuit hearing
248
00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:27,360
conviction, though,
investigators suspected that
249
00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,560
this case was far from over
because the detectives that were
250
00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:33,080
reviewing Little's criminal
history and travel patterns
251
00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:34,960
started to notice something
scary.
252
00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:39,320
For decades, every time he moved
from one state to another, there
253
00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:43,160
were numerous unsolved murders
involving strangulating women
254
00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:47,640
and places specifically that
Little lived or had traveled
255
00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:50,480
through.
Some investigators suspected
256
00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,720
they were looking at a serial
killer whose crimes had never
257
00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:56,520
been fully uncovered.
That suspicion eventually peaked
258
00:13:56,520 --> 00:14:00,680
the interest of Texas Ranger
James Holland, and James Holland
259
00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:03,480
began interviewing Little while
he was serving his life
260
00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:05,880
sentence.
Holland was working these cold
261
00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:10,080
cases in Texas, and he believed
that Little was responsible for
262
00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:12,760
several of the unsolved murders
that he was looking into.
263
00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:16,280
So in 2018, he traveled to
California to speak with him,
264
00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:19,160
hoping that he could just get
some information about that
265
00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:22,640
case.
At first the conversation was
266
00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,840
slow, very cautious, but over
time, Little began to trust him
267
00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,440
and began to talk.
And what followed would become
268
00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:33,000
one of the most significant
confession series in modern
269
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,120
criminal investigations.
During multiple interviews,
270
00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:39,640
Little would describe murders
that had occurred across the
271
00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,800
country over several decades.
He provided details about the
272
00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,240
victims, location,
circumstances, recalling events
273
00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:48,680
from the 70s and 80s with
unbelievable clarity.
274
00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,600
During one interview, Holland
asked him how he chose his
275
00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:55,920
victims, and Little reportedly
said, I don't pick them, I let
276
00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,880
them pick me.
He claimed that many of the
277
00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:02,000
women approached him first,
asking for a ride or for some
278
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,560
assistance, and his mind that
meant that they had chosen to
279
00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,840
have this encounter with him.
Investigators later noted that
280
00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,440
this framing was a way for
Little to psychologically
281
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,480
distance himself from
responsibility.
282
00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,640
Even though he knew he was the
one who ultimately attacked and
283
00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:19,320
killed these women, He had to
give himself some kind of
284
00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:22,080
rationale.
In another moment that disturbed
285
00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:24,920
investigators, Little was asked
why he chose strangulation
286
00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,360
rather than a weapon, and
according to interview notes, he
287
00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:30,280
simply raised his hands and said
you don't need a gun, all you
288
00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:33,000
need is these.
Holland later recalled that
289
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:35,640
Little often spoke about the
murders with little emotion,
290
00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:39,320
sometimes even smiling as he
described events that took place
291
00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:43,680
decades before.
Investigators also noticed
292
00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:45,800
something unusual about the way
Little's memory worked.
293
00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,920
He struggled to remember basic
timeline details, such as exact
294
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,880
year, city or even what name he
had been using while he was
295
00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,680
driving through that area.
But when he was asked about the
296
00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,960
women themselves, his
recollection was remarkably
297
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:02,600
precise.
He could describe the victim's
298
00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,880
appearance in vivid detail, her
hair color, height, clothing,
299
00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,760
the smallest physical feature
like a freckle scar or gap in
300
00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,080
her tooth.
And some cases he even remember
301
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,920
the way she laughed or the final
word she spoke before he
302
00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,240
attacked her.
Holland later said that Little
303
00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:21,400
seemed to remember the crimes
visually, almost as if he were
304
00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,640
replaying these scenes from a
movie in his mind.
305
00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,880
That ability LED investigators
to ask him to draw the women he
306
00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,960
remembered, and Little began
sketching portraits of victims
307
00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,960
from memory, recalling their
faces from the crimes that he
308
00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:37,960
committed 30 some years before.
The drawings were detailed
309
00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:41,600
enough that the FBI eventually
released them to the public in
310
00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,160
hopes that someone would
recognize these women, who have
311
00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:46,440
remained unidentified now for
decades.
312
00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:49,280
Perhaps the most disturbing
detail Little shared during
313
00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:51,440
these interviews was what stayed
with him the longest.
314
00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,200
He said the moment he remembered
most clearly was not the act of
315
00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,600
killing those women, but the
moment just before it happened,
316
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:01,800
the moment when his victim
realized she was in mortal
317
00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,640
danger.
Eventually, Little confessed to
318
00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,000
killing 93 women.
The number stunned
319
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,720
investigators.
If this was accurate, it would
320
00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:12,359
make him the most prolific
serial killer in American
321
00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:14,640
history.
As detectives began reviewing
322
00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,839
the information, many of the
descriptions matched unsolved
323
00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:21,520
cases, some that were still
open.
324
00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:25,640
Some details, he recalled, were
so specific that investigators
325
00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,119
were able to connect them
directly to existing case files.
326
00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:30,880
The portraits he drew also
proved significant.
327
00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:35,440
In several cases, families and
friends recognize the women in
328
00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,080
the sketches and contacted
authorities, helping
329
00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:42,160
investigators finally identify
missing persons victims who had
330
00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,200
been unknown for decades.
By the time the interviews
331
00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,440
concluded, investigators had
started the long process of
332
00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:50,960
verifying Little's claims and
matching them to unsolved
333
00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:54,640
murders across the country.
Dozens of cases have already
334
00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:57,120
been have already been
confirmed, and investigators
335
00:17:57,120 --> 00:17:59,120
believe more may eventually be
linked to him.
336
00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,520
What began as a simple drug
arrest in Kentucky revealed a
337
00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:04,280
criminal career that had
remained hidden.
338
00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:08,560
Now, one of the most important
parts of the story isn't the man
339
00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,240
who committed these crimes.
It's the women whose lives were
340
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,920
taken and whose names were
ignored and forgotten for many
341
00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:17,440
years.
The victims connected to Samuel
342
00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:19,160
Little were treated as anonymous
statistics.
343
00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:22,440
Many were sex workers, women
struggling with addiction,
344
00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:25,960
people living on that side of
society we don't like to think
345
00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:28,160
about.
And when they disappeared, their
346
00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:30,040
cases were often not
investigated.
347
00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:32,280
This with the same urgency given
other victims.
348
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:34,800
Some were listed as identified
Gene Doe's.
349
00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,400
Others were simply filed away as
missing people who were never
350
00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,680
found.
But as investigators worked
351
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:41,640
slowly through Little's
confessions and the portraits he
352
00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,640
drew from memory, something
began to change.
353
00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,000
Slowly, these women started to
get their names back.
354
00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,200
So for a moment, we're going to
stop talking about the killer
355
00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:55,880
and say their names.
Melinda Lapre.
356
00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,040
Guadalupe Apodaca.
Carol.
357
00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,600
Linda Alford.
Gwendolyn Moore.
358
00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,480
Audrey Nelson Everett.
Evelyn Weston.
359
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:14,480
Yvonne Hill, Daisy McGuire, Xena
Marie Jones, Annie Lee Stewart
360
00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:21,800
Rose Evans, Margaret Peggy
Phelps, Denise Brothers, Linda
361
00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:29,520
Jackson, Joanne Gay, Nancy Carol
Stevens, Mary Jo Payton, Barbara
362
00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:36,600
Barrow, Rosetta Bishop, Deborah
Jackson, who for nearly 40 years
363
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:40,960
had been known only as Orange
Socks and most recently Yvonne
364
00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:46,560
Plus, was identified in 2023
after decades being known as
365
00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:50,640
Macon Jane Doe.
Unfortunately, investigators
366
00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:52,920
believe there are still many
victims connected to Little who
367
00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:55,920
remain unidentified.
The FBI has linked him to
368
00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:58,520
multiple Jane Doe cases across
the United States, but because
369
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,760
many of these women were never
even reported missing in the
370
00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:03,640
first place.
And records from the 1970s and
371
00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,680
80s are incomplete.
Their identities may never be
372
00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:09,400
known.
Each of these names represent a
373
00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:14,760
person who had a life became
Each of these names represents a
374
00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:18,000
person who had a life before
they became part of a police
375
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,520
file.
They had families, friends,
376
00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:24,400
childhood memories, and futures
that were stolen from them for
377
00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:25,920
decades.
Many of these women were
378
00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:29,760
dismissed or overlooked because
of their circumstances, but the
379
00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,560
work of investigators, forensic
scientists, and families who
380
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,360
never stopped searching has
helped restore some of their
381
00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:38,480
identities.
And there are still many more
382
00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:40,880
victims whose names we may never
actually know.
383
00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:46,080
But telling their stories and
saying their names ensures that
384
00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:50,520
they are no longer invisible.
Because while Samuel Little may
385
00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:53,520
be remembered for the number of
murders he committed, the real
386
00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:56,400
story is about the women whose
lives mattered even when the
387
00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:09,720
world failed to notice them.
One of the most difficult truths
388
00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,360
revealed by the crimes of Samuel
Little is not just how long he
389
00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:16,480
was able to kill, but why it
took so long for anyone to
390
00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,040
realize what was happening.
His case exposed something
391
00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:23,080
deeply uncomfortable about the
way the society, and sometimes
392
00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,720
the criminal justice system,
values certain victims more than
393
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,680
it values others.
Many of Little's victims were
394
00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:33,760
transient women.
Some were sex workers, addicts,
395
00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:38,800
homeless, living in unstable
situations, women of color.
396
00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:42,920
And these circumstances made
them especially vulnerable, but
397
00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,120
only to violence, but being
overlooked after their
398
00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:47,840
disappearances.
In the United States, there are
399
00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,880
long documented disparities in
how homicide victims are
400
00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,920
investigated and reported,
depending on race, economic
401
00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:55,960
status, and social
circumstances.
402
00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:59,000
Studies have shown that cases
involving white victims,
403
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,160
particularly white women, tend
to receive more media attention
404
00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:05,000
and in many cases, more
investigative resources.
405
00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:08,360
Meanwhile, cases involving Black
victims, Indigenous victims, and
406
00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:11,400
people living in poverty also
receive far less coverage and
407
00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:13,680
urgency.
This imbalance has sometimes
408
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,640
been referred to by journalists
and researchers as the Missing
409
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,320
White Woman Syndrome,
highlighting how media and
410
00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,920
public attention are not always
distributed equally.
411
00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:24,720
Even in my own journey as a true
crime researcher and
412
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,240
commentator, I have seen this
imbalance play out in real life.
413
00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:29,960
My first national case fell
under what people would
414
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:31,880
recognize as Missing White Woman
syndrome.
415
00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,200
I was brought in to participate
in a 2020 documentary about the
416
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,400
disappearance and murder of
Gabby Petito, and while she
417
00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,720
absolutely deserved to be found
and her killer exposed, the
418
00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,640
urgency around her disappearance
had a distinctive fervor because
419
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,760
she was young, beautiful, and
yes, white.
420
00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:51,040
Meanwhile, so many missing women
and girls appear on my news
421
00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,600
tracker every single day, and
they receive one article, if
422
00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:57,120
they're lucky, maybe 1 Amber
Alert.
423
00:22:57,360 --> 00:22:59,480
And then I never hear about them
ever again.
424
00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:03,080
I look up their names and it
just never tells me whether this
425
00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:06,040
person was found.
Their stories disappear from the
426
00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:09,400
news cycle almost as quickly as
they appear, and honestly, it
427
00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,600
just feels unfair.
In cases like Samuel Little's,
428
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:17,560
these disparities create the
perfect environment for someone
429
00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:20,320
who operates without drawing
widespread alarm.
430
00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,080
Many of his victims were people
whose lives were already
431
00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:28,720
complicated, so complicated by
poverty, addiction and unstable
432
00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:30,880
housing.
When individuals in these
433
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,680
situations disappear, their
absences are often just
434
00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:38,360
explained away.
Well, they assume she just
435
00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:42,880
moved, she left town, maybe she
became even more of an addict
436
00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:46,080
than she already was.
This delays missing persons
437
00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,440
reports.
It slows down investigations
438
00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:51,560
before they can ever begin.
Within the criminal justice
439
00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:54,320
system, these assumptions can
sometimes influence how cases
440
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,360
are initially approached.
When the victim is perceived as
441
00:23:57,360 --> 00:24:01,120
being involved in risky behavior
like sex work, there's an
442
00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:04,560
unspoken tendency to treat that
death as less urgent and less
443
00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:07,480
solvable.
In some cases, the death might
444
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,880
be misclassified entirely.
If you're an addict, a lot of
445
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,040
things that don't seem to make
much sense get classified as an
446
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,680
overdose or an accident or
exposure.
447
00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,200
Even though if you just spent a
little bit more time
448
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:22,720
investigating this crime scene,
it would be very obvious that
449
00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:25,080
this person did not die from an
overdose.
450
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,640
This lack of urgency does not
necessarily come from malice on
451
00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,840
the part of investigators.
Often it reflects systemic
452
00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:35,520
limitations, heavy caseloads,
the assumptions that exist
453
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:39,440
within society as a whole.
But the impact is still so real.
454
00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:43,440
When victims are seen as
problematic or disposable, and
455
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:47,040
fewer resources are devoted to
finding the answers, that means
456
00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:48,760
that people get away with
murder.
457
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:53,040
And for the families of these
victims, the lack of empathy is
458
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,240
devastating.
Many people spend years trying
459
00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:59,600
to convince authorities that
their loved ones matter and
460
00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,720
their disappearances deserve
some kind of attention.
461
00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:07,040
In some of these cases, they
waited decades before receiving
462
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:09,920
confirmation of what they had
assumed already happened.
463
00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,160
The investigation into Samuel
Little ultimately forced many
464
00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,200
agencies to re examine cases
long forgotten.
465
00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,680
It highlighted how easily
violence remains hidden when it
466
00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,280
targets people whose lives are
already marginalized.
467
00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:28,040
The lesson from this case is not
about one man's crime, but also
468
00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,960
the need for equal urgency,
equal compassion, and equal
469
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,360
investigation for every victim
regardless of their race,
470
00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:40,360
income, or their circumstance.
Samuel Little died December
471
00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:44,320
30th, 2020 at the age of 80
years old while serving multiple
472
00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:46,520
life sentences in California
State Prison.
473
00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:50,000
At the time of his death, he was
being held at California State
474
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,760
Prison, Los Angeles County,
where he had been transferred
475
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,720
after his conviction for those 3
murders in Los Angeles.
476
00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:58,200
According to the California
Department of Corrections and
477
00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,200
Rehabilitation, Little died of
natural causes after several
478
00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:04,200
years of declining health.
By the time he died, Samuel
479
00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,080
Little had already confessed to
killing 93 women across the US,
480
00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:11,280
those murders spanning from the
early 1970s into the mid 2000s.
481
00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:14,000
Investigators from the FBI and
multiple law enforcement
482
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,800
agencies have spent years
working to verify these claims
483
00:26:17,360 --> 00:26:19,000
through a combination of DA
evidence.
484
00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:22,480
Through a combination of DNA
evidence, case records and
485
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,440
details only the killer could
know, authorities have been able
486
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:27,680
to confirm many of the murders
he described.
487
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,520
As of the most recent updates
from the FBI, investigators have
488
00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:34,320
confirmed at least 60 of
Little's victims.
489
00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:36,960
That number alone makes him the
most prolific.
490
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,720
However, his own statement
suggests that number is higher.
491
00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:43,920
If Little's confessions are
accurate, there are still 33
492
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:46,720
women whose deaths remain
unconfirmed and whose identities
493
00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:49,800
have not been discovered in the
years leading up to his death.
494
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,880
He continued to cooperate with
investigators after those
495
00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:56,480
initial interviews with the
Texas Ranger in 2018, law
496
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,440
enforcement officials from all
across the country started
497
00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,120
flying to California to speak
with him about their own
498
00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:05,000
unsolved murders that matched
his known patterns.
499
00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:08,440
And these interviews did result
in additional confessions and
500
00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:13,120
new leads in cold cases that
were dormant for decades, even
501
00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:15,480
as hell.
Even as his health declined,
502
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:17,640
investigators continued
reviewing the statements,
503
00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:21,520
comparing them with old case
files, missing persons reports,
504
00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:23,920
forensic evidence.
In some cases, the details he
505
00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:28,640
provided reopen investigations.
However, Little ultimately died
506
00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,520
before every confession could be
fully investigated, and today
507
00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,160
dozens of his alleged victims
remain unidentified.
508
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:39,240
Several cases he described have
yet to be matched to a specific
509
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,040
missing person or any recovered
remains.
510
00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,440
The work of identifying those
victims is ongoing.
511
00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,680
Law enforcement agencies,
forensic genealogists and
512
00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:51,400
families of missing people
continue to review the evidence
513
00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,320
Little left behind, including
his confessions and the
514
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,640
portraits he drew from memory.
Even after his death, the
515
00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,200
investigation into Samuel
Little's crimes continue as
516
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,840
authorities work to uncover the
names and stories of the women
517
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:07,960
who have yet to be found.
The most disturbing part of this
518
00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,280
story is not just what Samuel
Little did, it's how long he was
519
00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:14,400
able to do it.
Almost 40 years.
520
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:18,960
Women disappeared across the US.
No one realized the pattern.
521
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,960
The victims were poor.
They were struggling with
522
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,120
addiction.
They were sex workers.
523
00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,200
They were women of color.
They were exactly the kind of
524
00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:31,960
people society tries to forget.
Former FBI profiler Robert
525
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:35,160
Ressler once said serial killers
hunt where the vulnerable live.
526
00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,960
If no one notices the victims
are missing, the killer can keep
527
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,600
hunting.
Samuel Little used that.
528
00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:44,960
And the uncomfortable truth is
that the conditions that allowed
529
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,600
him to kill for 40 years did not
disappear when he died.
530
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:52,080
Every year in the United States,
thousands of people are reported
531
00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,520
missing.
Some are found, many are not.
532
00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:59,880
And when the victims are poor,
homeless, addicted, living on
533
00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:03,760
the street, those cases still
receive little attention.
534
00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:07,160
Their stories still disappear
from the headlines, and their
535
00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,120
names fame from public memory.
Which means somewhere in America
536
00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,160
tonight, another missing person
report is being filed.
537
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,520
Another case file is being
opened.
538
00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,160
And there's always the
possibility that another pattern
539
00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:22,320
is forming, one that no one has
noticed yet.
540
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,320
Because predators don't just
rely on violence.
541
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:29,000
They rely on silence.
They rely on indifference.
542
00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:33,120
They rely on the assumption that
some people matter less than
543
00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,560
others.
But eventually, the truth
544
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:38,480
catches up.
And when it does, it always
545
00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:43,040
leaves something behind.
A name, a case file, a trail.
546
00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:47,200
And if someone is willing to
follow it long enough, the truth
547
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:51,160
always leaves a trail.
For the women whose names were
548
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:55,120
lost for decades, that trail
finally LED back to them.
549
00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:59,720
My name is Brittany Ransom, and
this has been when killers get
550
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,200
caught.
See you next week.
