Episode Overview

Title: Why Were There So Many Serial Killers in 1970s America?
Host: Bob Crawford
Guest: Katherine Townsend (podcaster, host of "Hell and Gone", "Murder Line", and "Red Collar")
Theme: The episode explores why the United States in the 1970s became infamous for a surge in serial killings, compares patterns to today, examines how law enforcement tactics and societal conditions shaped the landscape, and challenges public perceptions about serial killers then and now.

Main Discussion Points

1. Defining "Serial Killer"

• Definition: "A serial killer is someone who kills three or more victims with a cooling off period, which differentiates it from something like a mass shooting where there's more than three victims, but it's all at once." (Katherine Townsend, 05:14)
• Changing Profile: Public image (lone white male predator) is outdated. About half of serial killers are not white, but bias and inattention led investigators to overlook many non-white victims and perpetrators (05:48).

2. Why So Many in the 1970s?

• Victim Pool and Opportunity:
  • Expansion of hitchhiking, sex work, and youthful independence created a "huge pool of victims...off the grid." (Katherine Townsend, 07:26)
  • Lack of DNA technology, poor police communication, and absence of national databases made it easier for killers to avoid capture.
  • Societal turmoil: PTSD among children of Vietnam veterans, lead exposure, declines in mental health resources (07:26).
  • "It was kind of this perfect storm that allowed these people to, if they felt like killing someone, get away with it." (Katherine Townsend, 08:34)
• Notable Names:
  • Examples include Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, Richard Ramirez (Night Stalker), Buono and Bianchi (Hillside Stranglers), Golden State Killer, Long Island Serial Killer (12:18).

3. Law Enforcement Limitations

• Fragmented Investigations: Before computers, investigations were siloed to individual police departments, making cross-state patterns and links difficult (09:44).
• Methods: Old-school "gumshoe" detective work — lots of interviewing and canvassing — substituted for forensic evidence (30:13).
• Exploited Gaps: Killers could "kill someone in one geographical area and then get away with it" thanks to poor integration (09:44).

4. The Role of Technology

• Pre-Cell Phones:
  • Victims could vanish without alarm: "No cell phones. No surveillance cameras. You could disappear for a few days and no one would hear from you." (Katherine Townsend, 14:41)
  • Missing persons not reported promptly; delays critical for investigations.
• Modern Advances:
  • DNA, surveillance, real-time tracking (Life360, Amber Alerts) make repeated victimization and evasion harder today (15:48).
  • "Today, killers are much more aware of technology and they know...DNA might get them months or years later." (11:07)

5. Victim Demographics & Policing Bias

• Marginalized Victims:
  • Racial minorities, LGBTQ individuals, sex workers, and young runaways were frequently targeted and overlooked by police (23:21).
  • "There's still quite a bit of victim blaming that goes on, in my opinion." (Katherine Townsend, 24:13)
  • Example: Police returned a 14-year-old boy, who didn't speak English and escaped from Jeffrey Dahmer, back to Dahmer—where the boy was killed (17:44).

6. Are There Fewer Serial Killers Now?

• Statistics and Skepticism:
  • Research claims active serial killers dropped from ~198 in the 1980s to 12 today, but Katherine disputes that's the true number—many go uncaught or are not categorized under the strict definition (03:53, 07:18, 38:01).
  • Homocide "clearance rates" (cases closed, but not necessarily resolved or perpetrators jailed) are only about 50-60% (38:21).
  • "You got a 50, 50 chance of getting away with murder in America based on where you are." (Katherine Townsend, 38:21)

7. Redefining Serial Killers & Gender

• Broader Definitions:
  • Many perpetrators don’t fit the "lone sexual predator" mold; financial motives or interpersonal violence can motivate serial killing.
  • "A lot of people out there may be technical serial killers who are not getting counted." (Katherine Townsend, 26:28)
• Female Serial Killers:
  • Female killers like Aileen Wuornos are rare and often sensationalized; women more often use "subtle" means, e.g., poisoning, which sometimes eludes detection (28:18).
  • Nurses and caregivers have historically killed multiple patients without being classed as serial killers (28:18).

8. Serial Killers Outside the U.S.

• International Occurrence:
  • Serial killers are not unique to America. Cases exist worldwide—Russia, Japan, the UK—but heavy surveillance (e.g., CCTV in the UK) reduces opportunity and leads to earlier apprehension (36:57).

9. Societal Fascination

• Media Obsession:
  • True crime fandom, movies, and podcasts continually stoke public interest.
  • Katherine notes, "the truth is they're not very interesting...most of the time they just got really lucky." (32:13)
  • Touched on the phenomenon of prison penpals and women developing relationships with imprisoned serial killers (33:10).

10. Personal Cases & Impact

• Katherine’s Work:
  • Describes investigating unsolved murders, contributing to a breakthrough in a 16-year-old Arkansas case by persistent fieldwork (35:26).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Opportunity for Violence (07:26):
  “For my money, it comes down to...opportunity really for me is about the victim pool. Back in the 70s and 80s, you had this huge pool of victims, mainly, I mean, a lot of hitchhikers and also had sex workers who were kind of off the grid...it was kind of this perfect storm that allowed these people to, if they felt like killing someone, get away with it.” — Katherine Townsend

• On Misconceptions in Race (05:48):
  “Only about 50% or so serial killers are white...there could be a lot more out there than people realize.” — Katherine Townsend

• On Policing Failures (17:44): “Jeffrey Dahmer, one of his victims was 14 years old and didn't speak English and got away from him and ... the police actually brought the 14 year old back to Jeffrey Dahmer's house and he ended up killing him. And that to me is incredibly tragic.” — Katherine Townsend

• On Modern Technology (15:48):
  “Now ... that's another thing. People use cell phones...if they are free spirits, they're in communication somehow, often, or you can track their location or something. [Before], you could disappear for a few days and no one would hear from you.” — Katherine Townsend

• On Law Enforcement Dismissal (24:13):
  “He made the comment, he said, well, with the lifestyle she was living, what did she expect? And I just was, I was actually stunned...I can't believe this is where we are in 2000, at the time, 2018.” — Katherine Townsend

• On Serial Killers Abroad (36:57):
  “I think serial killers are worldwide...Russia, Japan ... the UK certainly even today there are serial killers...fewer people become serial killers today because they're caught earlier.” — Katherine Townsend

• On Media Fascination (32:13):
  “The truth is they're not very interesting ... most of the time they just got really lucky.” — Katherine Townsend

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Definition of serial killer: 05:14
• Why the 1970s? / Opportunity and victim pool: 07:26–08:54
• Limitations of policing: 09:44–10:25
• Impact of lack of technology/missing persons: 14:15–16:40
• Victim blaming and police bias: 23:21–24:13
• Re-defining the serial killer profile: 26:28–27:24
• Female serial killers: 27:29–29:39
• How detectives worked cases in the 1970s: 30:13
• Serial killers worldwide: 36:57
• Are there fewer today? / Clearance rate issue: 38:01–39:32

Conclusion

The episode challenges the myth of the "1970s serial killer spike" by dissecting how societal changes, gaps in law enforcement, and technology created fertile ground for killers who went undetected for years. Changes in forensic science, victim tracking, and public awareness have reduced opportunity, but Katherine Townsend warns that technical "serial killers" probably remain active—especially when marginalized victims are overlooked. The conversation underscores the real, ongoing threat and calls into question how we define and hunt serial killers today. The show closes with an open invitation for listener questions, underscoring American history’s ongoing mysteries.