He wasn't caught for over 40 years. Not because he was hard to find — but because almost no one was looking.
Samuel Little confessed to killing 93 people across the United States between 1970 and 2005. In 2019, the FBI formally confirmed him as the most prolific serial killer in American history, based on dozens of independently verified confessions.
Who He Was
Little was born Samuel McDowell in Reynolds, Georgia, in 1940, and was raised largely by his grandmother. Over the following decades, he moved frequently across the country, accumulating arrests in numerous states for a range of offenses, but avoided a murder conviction for more than 40 years despite repeated, serious brushes with law enforcement — including at least one instance where police caught him in the act of assaulting a woman who survived to testify against him, yet still saw him serve less than two years in prison.
How He Evaded Capture
Little specifically targeted women he believed would draw the least attention from authorities if they disappeared: sex workers, women struggling with addiction, and poor women, disproportionately Black women, on the margins of society. Many of his victims' deaths were originally ruled accidental, attributed to overdoses, or left formally unsolved and under-investigated, in part because information about similar cases wasn't well shared between the many different local police departments across the states where he operated. Investigators who worked on the case later described a justice system that, at the time, gave these victims' deaths far less scrutiny than they deserved.
Arrest and Conviction
Little was arrested in 2012 on an outstanding drug charge, and DNA testing connected him to three unsolved murders in California dating back to the late 1980s. He was convicted of those killings in 2014 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
A Wave of Confessions
Following his 2014 conviction, and working with a Texas Ranger who specialized in eliciting confessions from cold-case suspects, Little began confessing extensively, ultimately claiming responsibility for 93 murders across 19 states. The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program reviewed his statements and found them highly credible, noting his precise recall of physical details — clothing patterns, specific locations, even a victim's last meal matching her autopsy findings — despite frequently being unable to recall exact names or dates. By the time of his death, at least 60 of his confessions had been formally confirmed by law enforcement, with additional cases still under review.
Portraits of the Missing
Little drew detailed portrait sketches of dozens of the women he said he'd killed, which the FBI released publicly in hopes that someone would recognize them. Several of these portraits have since helped identify previously unnamed victims and close long-unsolved cold cases.
Death
Samuel Little died in custody at a California hospital on December 30, 2020, at age 80.
Documented in Books and Film
Author Jillian Lauren spent more than 40 hours interviewing Little in prison, publishing her book "Behold the Monster" in 2023. His case was also the subject of Oxygen's 2020 documentary "Catching a Serial Killer: Sam Little" and Starz's 2021 docuseries "Confronting a Serial Killer."
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people did Samuel Little actually kill?
He confessed to 93 murders; as of the most recent reporting, at least 60 have been formally confirmed by law enforcement, with the FBI continuing to investigate the remainder.
Why did it take so long to catch him?
Little specifically targeted marginalized women whose deaths were often under-investigated or dismissed at the time, and information about similar cases wasn't well coordinated between the many different local police jurisdictions where he operated.
Is Samuel Little still alive?
No. He died in custody on December 30, 2020, at age 80.
Did his sketches help solve any cases?
Yes. Several of his portrait drawings, released publicly by the FBI, have helped identify previously unnamed victims.