Infamous Serial Killers And Their Actual Police Sketches
The Importance of Police Sketches
Serial killer police sketches have long been a vital tool in criminal investigations. These sketches, typically created with input from eyewitnesses or survivors, aim to visually represent a suspect’s appearance and assist in generating leads from the public.
One of the greatest strengths of a police sketch is its ability to rapidly disseminate a visual reference to law enforcement agencies and the public. When time is critical, a sketch can be shared through media outlets, social networks, and law enforcement bulletins, prompting tips or identifications that may otherwise never come to light. In some cases, sketches have played a key role in narrowing down suspects or triggering a memory in someone who has seen the individual before.
Limitations and Challenges
Despite their usefulness, police sketches are not always accurate. They depend heavily on the memory and perception of witnesses, which can be unreliable, especially under stress. Facial features may be distorted, or key details misremembered. This can lead to sketches that bear little resemblance to the actual perpetrator, potentially causing confusion or even the misidentification of innocent people.
Artistic interpretation is another factor. The skill level and style of the sketch artist can influence how the final image turns out. Two artists working with the same description might produce noticeably different results.
In recent years, technological advancements have supplemented traditional sketch techniques. Software-assisted composites and DNA offer new ways to generate suspect images when no eyewitness is available or when memories fade. Still, the traditional hand-drawn sketch remains a staple in many investigations due to its speed and accessibility.
Police composite sketches remain a powerful but imperfect tool. When used in combination with other investigative methods, they can make a significant difference in solving crimes and bringing justice to victims.
Some examples of serial killer police sketches:
1. Ted Bundy
Bundy is known as one of America’s most infamous serial killers. He was responsible for at least 30 sexual assaults, kidnappings, and murders.
Oxygen / NBCUniversal, GL Archive / Alamy Stock Photo
2. Dennis Rader – The BTK Killer
Dennis Rader, known as “BTK Killer,” killed at least 10 people, each time committing the murders by first binding and torturing the victims. Rader was arrested nearly 25 years after his crimes
Oxygen / NBCUniversal, Sedwick County Sheriff’s Occide via Getty Images
3. David Berkowitz – Son of Sam
Berkowitz, known as “Son of Sam,” killed six people and terrorized the city of New York for more than a year. Arrested on August 10, 1977, Berkowitz claimed his neighbor’s pet Labrador, which was named Sam, was possessed by a demon and told him to commit the murders
New York Daily News Archive / NY Daily News via Getty Images, Hulton Archive / Getty Images
4. Joseph James DeAngelo – The Golden State Killer
Known as the “Golden State Killer,” DeAngelo committed 13 murders, 50 sexual assaults, and 120 burglaries across California over a span of 43 years, starting in 1975 and ending with his arrest in 2018. As a former cop in the areas where the crimes occurred, he kept his cover until genetic genealogy linked him to the crimes.
FBI via AP, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office via AP
5. Jeffrey Dahmer – The Milwaukee Cannibal
Known as the “Milwaukee Cannibal,” was a serial killer and sex offender who murdered 17 young men from 1978 to 1991. He would lure men from malls, bus stops, and bars with the promise of sex and money, only to murder and dismember them in his Milwaukee apartment
u/ChrissyBrown1127 / Via reddit.com, Curt Borgwardt / Sygma via Getty Images
6. Richard Ramirez – The Night Stalker
Known as the “Night Stalker,” committed at least 11 sexual assaults, 13 murders, and 14 burglaries. He was responsible for the wave of panic that terrified Southern California residents in the summer of 1985.
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive, Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
7. Doodler – Uncaught Serial Killer
The Doodler is an unidentified serial killer believed responsible for between six and sixteen murders and three assaults of men in San Francisco, California, between January 1974 and September 1975, by luring his victims at gay nightclubs, bars and restaurants. The nickname was given due to the perpetrator’s habit of sketching his victims prior to stabbing them to death.
Sketch released in 1975 and an age progressed sketch released in 2019
8. Gary Leon Ridgway – The Green River Killer
Known as the “Green River Killer,” Ridgway murdered at least 49 women in Washington state from 1982 to his arrest in 2001. His first few victims were usually found around Green River. He went on to plead guilty to 49 counts of aggravated first-degree murder.
True Crime Magazine, Matteo Omied / Alamy Stock Photo
9. Ted Kaczynski – The Unabomber
Known by his nickname of the “Unabomber,” is a domestic terrorist who conducted a series of bomb attacks over a span of 17 years. His campaign, which started in the late 1970s and ended with his arrest in 1996, killed three people and injured 23.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images, Donaldson Collection / Getty Images
10. Richard Chase – The Vampire of Sacramento
Known as the “Vampire of Sacramento,” he comitted six known murders and drinking the blood of each victim. He had a fascination with blood and believed that by drinking it, he would absorb nutrients.
11. Albert DeSalvo – The Boston Strangler
Known by his infamous nickname the “Boston Strangler,” was a convicted rapist who made a jailhouse confession that he was the Boston Strangler and killed 11 women
National Star Chronicle, Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via Getty Images
12. Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Wuornos is one of the most infamous American female serial killers. She was a former sex worker who killed seven men between 1989 and 1990. Tyria Moore, who was Wuornos’s romantic partner and partner in crime, eventually reported her to the police
Florida Criminal Activity Bulletin, Florida DOC / Getty Images
13. Kenneth Bianchi – Hillside Stranglers
He was one half of the Hillside Stranglers. When arrested he pleaded guilty to 12 of the Hillside Strangler murders that were committed in 1977 and 1978 and gave up his cousin Angelo Buono as part of a plea deal.
The Bellingham Herald File
14. Angelo Buono – Hillside Stranglers
Buono is the other half of the Hillside Stranglers and the older cousin of Bianchi. The murderous duo would usually lure victims into their car by flashing fake police badges. He was captured when Bianchi was arrested and offered his name as a part of a plea deal.
The Bellingham Herald File, Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
15. Tommy Lynn Sells – The Coast to Coast Killer
Tommy Lynn Sells was an American serial killer who became known as the Coast to Coast Killer and although he was convicted of only two murders, one of which he was sentenced to death and eventually executed for, Sells claimed to have killed up to 70 victims in various states.
CBSNews, Val Verde County Sheriff via AP
16. The Zodiac – Uncaught Serial Killer
The Zodiac Killer is the pseudonym of an unidentified serial killer who murdered five known victims in the San Francisco Bay Area between December 1968 and October 1969.
The Zodiac Killer Police Sketch
18. I-70 Killer – Uncaught Serial Killer
The I-70 killer is an unidentified American serial killer, known to have killed six store clerks in the Midwestern United States in the spring of 1992. His nickname derives from the fact that several of the stores in which his victims worked were located a few miles off of Interstate 70
