There is little more terrifying than those who hunt, stalk and snatch their prey under the cloak of darkness. These hunters search not for animals, but for the touch, taste, and empowerment of human flesh. They are cannibals, vampires and monsters, and they walk among us.

These serial killers are not mythical beasts with horns and shaggy hair. They are people living among society, going about their day to day activities until nightfall.

To make the information usable for investigators, this monograph is divided into a number of different sections. There are sections that provide law enforcement with an overview of serial murder investigations, as well as sections that address the implications of the various body disposal scenarios used by serial killers and discusses how this information can be used to highlight certain offender characteristics. The study parameters and results section contains the statistical data of the study. The data was substantial enough to allow the authors to search frequencies and common occurrences between the body disposal scenario, other behaviors at the crime scene, the criminal history of the offender, and the relationship between the offender and the victim. Included within these sections are comparisons between individual offenders based upon how many victims were killed by each serial killer. Age, marital status, pre-offense stressors, and arrest history were also compared between the offenders' first and last murder.

About the Author:

Robert J. Morton Supervisory Special Agent National Center for the Analysis of Violent CrimeFederal Bureau of Investigation.