Samuel Little

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Lore & Background

Samuel Little was born Samuel McDowell on June 7, 1940, in Reynolds, Georgia. The census from the year Little was born said his mother, Bessie Mae, worked as a maid and that his father was 19-year-old Paul McDowell. Little said that his teenaged mother was a 'lady of the night', and that she abandoned him as an infant. Soon after his birth, Little's family moved to Lorain, Ohio, where he was brought up mainly by his grandmother. He attended Hawthorne Junior High School. 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. In 1956, after being convicted of breaking and entering into property in Omaha, Nebraska, Little was held in an institution for juvenile offenders. His mother was listed on the booking card as 'whereabouts unknown.' Little moved to Florida to live with his mother in the late 1960s. By his own account, he was 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 that included 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 concentrations in Miami and Los Angeles. The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program confirmed his involvement in these murders, many of which were cold cases. Little's confessions, made in exchange for a transfer out of Los Angeles County prison, led to the resolution of numerous unsolved homicides. His legacy includes the identification of previously unknown victims and the closure of decades-old cases, though not all of his confessions have been matched to known murders. His case highlights the challenges of linking serial killings across jurisdictions and the value of forensic evidence, such as DNA, in confirming his guilt. Little died in prison while serving multiple life sentences.

Did You Know?

• Little was convicted of 8 murders but confessed to 93 across 19 states between 1970 and 2005.
• The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program confirmed at least 60 of his murders, the most for any serial killer in American history.
• Little provided sketches for 26 of his victims, though not all have been linked to known murders.
• He was arrested 26 times in eleven states by 1975 for crimes including theft, assault, attempted rape, fraud, and attacks on government officials.
• Little began confessing in exchange for a transfer out of Los Angeles County prison.