A trail of fingerprint and DNA evidence has led law enforcement officials to Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, suspected in the slayings of at least eight people. All the victims lived along a 200-mile stretch of railroad tracks from San Antonio to Houston. The murderous path has sent a chill through the small towns along the railroad line and ignited a massive manhunt.
Serial killers are usually loners, say profilers and crime experts.
They pick strangers for their prey while cruising the seedy side of town, or by breaking into homes and befriending forlorn souls in a bar or on the street. Then, fueled by perverted sexual passions, they bludgeon, torture and dismember. Sometimes they drag the bodies miles away, leaving their quarry where the sad, unspeakable evidence remains silent for years. Law enforcement authorities believe there may be 35 to 50 serial killers active at any time and responsible for up to 200 deaths a year. Then, they need more and more.