Crime Type - Sexual Violence

Brett Peter Cowan became one of Australia’s most notorious child killers after abducting and murdering Daniel Morcombe on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in 2003. The case devastated Australia because Daniel disappeared while waiting for a bus in broad daylight, triggering one of the country’s largest and longest-running child disappearance investigations. For years, Daniel Morcombe’s disappearance remained unsolved as his family led tireless public campaigns to keep the case in the national spotlight. Cowan was eventually exposed through an elaborate undercover police operation in which officers secretly befriended him and recorded incriminating admissions about the murder. The investigation and conviction later became one of Australia’s most significant child homicide cases.

Robert Hansen became one of Alaska’s most infamous serial killers after abducting women, flying them into the wilderness and hunting them before murdering them. Nicknamed “The Butcher Baker” because he outwardly lived as a quiet family baker while secretly committing brutal murders, Hansen terrorized Anchorage and surrounding areas throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The case shocked investigators because Hansen appeared to be an ordinary husband, business owner and outdoorsman while hiding a sadistic double life. Authorities later discovered he targeted vulnerable women, particularly sex workers and dancers, before using Alaska’s remote wilderness as a personal hunting ground. His crimes became one of the most disturbing serial murder cases in American history and inspired numerous books, documentaries and films.

Rex Heuermann became one of America’s most infamous alleged serial killers after being charged in connection with the Gilgo Beach murders on Long Island. The architect from Massapequa Park shocked the United States because prosecutors alleged he secretly murdered multiple women for years while outwardly living as a married family man and successful New York professional. The Gilgo Beach investigation became one of the most heavily publicized serial killer cases in modern American history after human remains were discovered along Ocean Parkway near Long Island’s South Shore. Authorities later accused Heuermann of targeting vulnerable women, particularly sex workers, before allegedly carrying out murders over an extended period while avoiding detection for more than a decade.

Richard Francis Cottingham became one of the most infamous serial killers in American history after murdering numerous women and girls in New York and New Jersey between 1967 and 1980. Known as the "Torso Killer" because several victims were dismembered, Cottingham targeted women he encountered in hotels, bars, and areas associated with sex work. Following his arrest in 1980, he was convicted of multiple murders and later confessed to additional killings, making him one of the most prolific identified serial killers in the northeastern United States.

Dennis Andrew Nilsen became one of the United Kingdom's most infamous serial killers after murdering at least 15 young men and boys in London between 1978 and 1983. Often referred to as the "Muswell Hill Murderer," Nilsen lured vulnerable victims to his home before strangling them and keeping their bodies for extended periods. His crimes were uncovered only after human remains blocked drains at his apartment building, leading to one of Britain's most shocking homicide investigations.

Rodney James Alcala became one of America's most infamous serial killers after murdering at least eight women and girls between 1971 and 1979, although investigators believe he may have killed well over 100 victims. Nicknamed the "Dating Game Killer" after appearing on the television show The Dating Game during his killing spree, Alcala used his charm and photography hobby to lure victims before murdering them. He was convicted in multiple states and died on California's death row in 2021.

Peter William Sutcliffe, known worldwide as the "Yorkshire Ripper," became one of the United Kingdom's most infamous serial killers after murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others between 1975 and 1980. Operating across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, Sutcliffe evaded capture for more than five years despite one of the largest police investigations in British history. His crimes generated widespread fear, exposed major investigative failures, and permanently changed homicide investigations in the United Kingdom.

Jeffrey Dahmer is one of the most disturbing figures in American criminal history, often dubbed the “Milwaukee Cannibal.” Between 1978 and 1991, he carried out a series of brutal murders involving necrophilia, cannibalism, and body preservation. His crimes shocked the world not only for their severity, but for how long he evaded capture.