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FBI Releases Sketch of Charleston Woman - Possible Victim of Alleged Serial Killer

Sketch of woman FBI says Samuel Little has confessed to killing in  the Charleston area
FBI
Sketch of woman FBI says Samuel Little has confessed to killing in the Charleston area
Booking photo of Samuel Little 1994
Credit FBI
Booking photo of Samuel Little 1994

The FBI calls him the most prolific serial killer in U.S history.  Now agents have released a sketch they say Samuel Little drew of a Charleston woman he claims to have killed and left near a military base. 

Authorities say Little, now 79 years-old, has confessed to killing 93 people, mostly women, in more than a dozen states between 1970 and 2005.  They believe his admissions are credible with local authorities  confirming as many as 50 cases.

The FBI says Little describes the Charleston victim as a 28 year-old black female he killed between 1977 and 1982.   But Charleston police say their cold case detective hasn't found her, noting the city does not have a military base.

"We checked our files," said police spokesperson Charles Francis.  "We have nothing."

The city of North Charleston does have a military base.   A police spokesperson there says detectives are pulling unsolved cases, searching for a potential match.

The FBI says little chose victims he thought no one would notice, women who lived on the fringe of society.  Many of their deaths were ruled accidental or overdoses. 

Booking photo of Samuel Little in 1978, around the time police say he admits to killing a Charleston woman
Credit FBI
Booking photo of Samuel Little in 1978, around the time police say he admits to killing a Charleston woman

"For many years, Samue Little believed he would not be caught because he thought no one was accounting for his victims," said Christie Palazzolo, crime analyst with the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program.  "Even though he is already in prison, the FBI believes it is important to seek justice for each victim- to close every case possible."

Little is already serving time in California for the beating and strangulation murders of three women. He was extradicted to Texas last year where he pleaded guilty to another killing and ultimately began confessing his crimes to a state ranger.

He's had numerous run-ins with the law.  Authorities have released booking photos to show what Little looked like over the past 35 years.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.