How Have Serial Killers Been Caught? These Unusual Occurrences Led To Their Captures

Every true crime junkie knows the names Ted Bundy, the BTK Killer, and Son of Sam, but what you may not know is that each one of the serial killers were captured due to an unusual circumstance. Random missteps taken by each of the aforementioned men led to their ultimate downfalls, but what were they?

Ted Bundy: A Stolen Car

Bundy, who was recently portrayed by Zac Efron in the 2019 Netflix movie "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile," was eventually caught due to the fact that he was driving a stolen car in Pensacola, Florida. Initially, the officer was unaware of his true identity upon pulling him over, but following a "brutal struggle" the '70s serial killer and rapist was arrested. Ultimately, he was executed on January 24, 1989 at the Florida State Penitentiary, per Refinery29.

The BTK Killer: A Floppy Disk

It took 20 years to catch Dennis Rader, commonly referred to as the BTK Killer, but eventually his own actions led to his arrest. In the time leading up to his capture, Rader had asked law enforcement if he could safely communicate with them via a floppy disk without being caught. A few weeks went by, but eventually a package arrived at a local television station. Shortly thereafter, Rader was apprehended as the disk was able to be traced back to a computer at his church.

READ: What Makes A Serial Killer? The Surprising Early Behavior That Many Exhibit

Son of Sam: A Parking Ticket

Son of Sam, whose real name was David Berkowitz, was eventually apprehended on Aug. 10, 1977. However, leading up to his capture, a series of bizarre events took place. One night at 2:30 a.m., a woman named Cacilia Davis had been walking her dog near her apartment. At that time, she noticed a man "who walked strange, like a cat."

The next day, she learned that a shooting had taken place, and she felt confident that the man she had passed the night before was responsible. She would later tell investigators that she had also noticed an officer placing a parking ticket on an illegally-parked vehicle near a fire hydrant one block from the murder scene, which eventually traced back to Berkowitz and his Yonkers, New York address.

Albert Fish: A Letter To His Victim's Family

Fish, who was born in Washington, D.C. on May 19, 1870, would go on to not only become a serial killer but also a cannibal. His own actions would eventually lead to his capture as well. In 1928, he is said to have answered an ad in a paper that was placed by a young man looking for work. Fish, then 58, had planned on luring him away, but upon arriving at the residence he met a 10-year-old girl and changed his mind regarding his target.

Eventually, Fish said he would like to take her to a birthday party and she was never seen again. However, six years later, the family of the murdered child received a letter that was filled with unique spelling errors that detailed the crime. This would eventually trace back to the stationary at a boarding house, which is where they found Fish. Ultimately, he would confess to the crime.

Dennis Nilsen: Complaining About A Clogged Drain

Nilsen, who was convicted of six counts of murder and two for attempted murder, eventually died in prison after receiving a sentence of 25 years minimum. His capture was largely due to the fact that he would attempt to flush the limbs of his victims down the toilet and drains, which caused a blockage in the pipes. This, in turn, caused Nilsen to complain to a waste company about the issue and requested that it be resolved.

Once a worker arrived at his residence, he saw that the problem was caused by flesh and pieces of bone stopping up the drain, including bones from a human hand. Police were eventually alerted and Nilsen was subsequently arrested.

The Golden State Killer: An Ancestry Test

Joseph James DeAngelo, also known as the Golden State Killer, was also caught in an unusual way. In the '70s and '80s, DeAngelo was connected to 12 murders and 45 sexual assaults in California, but his capture would not take place until 2018.

The break in the case? A tool called GEDMatch, which has similarities to services like 23andMe and Ancestry DNA. Thanks to investigator Paul Holes, he was able to use the DNA, some taken from the handle of DeAngelo's car, in order to track his great-great-great-grandparents and follow the trail, ultimately leading to his arrest.

The Green River Killer: With Ted Bundy's Help

Gary Ridgway, commonly known as the Green River Killer, was convicted of murdering 49 women between 1982 and 1988, although Ridgway noted that his actual number of victims could have been closer to 90. As he would take certain steps in order to contaminate a scene, such as leaving behind gum or cigarette butts in order to throw police off his trail, he became a bit elusive.

This prompted officials to begin what they called the Green River Task Force, which included Robert Keppel and Dave Reichert. Through interviews, they eventually found themselves communicating with Ted Bundy, who at that time had been in prison for six years for his own crimes. During one of those sessions, Bundy suggested that the killer may return to a fresh grave, so he suggested that they may want to consider staking it out. This theory turned out to be true, which gave them enough evidence to issue an arrest warrant. However, police did not officially apprehend Ridgway until 2001.