Samuel Little

Lore & Background

Little said his teenaged mother was a 'lady of the night' and abandoned him as an infant. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Lorain, Ohio, where he was raised mainly by his grandmother. By his own account, he began having sexual fantasies about strangling women as a child, starting when he saw his kindergarten teacher touch her neck; as a teenager, he collected true crime magazines depicting the strangulation of women. His mother was listed on the booking card as 'whereabouts unknown.' He later moved to Florida to live with his mother in the late 1960s, working at various times as a cemetery worker and an ambulance attendant. He said he then began traveling more widely and had more run-ins with the law, being arrested in eight states for crimes including driving under the influence, fraud, shoplifting, solicitation, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and rape. Little took up boxing during his time in prison, referring to himself as a former prizefighter.

Reader's Guide

Samuel Little's significance lies in the unprecedented scale of his confirmed murders—at least 60, the largest number for any serial killer in American history—and the extensive use of his own confessions and sketches to identify victims. His crime spree stretched across the country, with a concentration of murders in Miami and Los Angeles. Little's case highlighted the challenges of linking serial killings across multiple jurisdictions and the value of DNA testing and cold case investigations. Little's legacy is a grim record of violence and a testament to the persistence of law enforcement in bringing closure to numerous families.

Did You Know?

• The FBI confirmed his involvement in at least 60 murders, the largest number of confirmed victims for any serial killer in American history.
• Little provided sketches for 26 of his victims, though not all have been linked to known murders.
• His confessions were made in exchange for a transfer out of the Los Angeles County prison.