Authorities are investigating dozens of cold cases across the country after a 78-year-old man confessed to a string of killings from 1970 to 2005.
Samuel Little was serving three consecutive life sentences for the murders of three women when authorities paid him a visit in the spring of 2018.
They were looking into a case out of Odessa, Texas that Little might have been connected too. That link was discovered by the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, or ViCAP. ViCAP is a database used to find similarities in cases that may be serial in nature.
In exchange for a move to different prison, Little ended up confessing to the murders of 90 people in 16 states. The FBI says he remembered details such as what state he was in, and what car he was driving, but didn't always remember when he killed.
The FBI says this hazy timeline, along with his method of killing, has made it difficult to corroborate all of the confessions. But officials have confirmed 34 killings, with many more cases pending.
The FBI has now labeled him one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history.
The bureau says the biggest lesson that came from this case is the value of ViCAP as an information sharing tool for law enforcement.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN
