- 7/8/2025
Uncaught Serial Killers: The Cases That Remain Open
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00:00Vending Machine Killer
00:01On April 30th, 1985, a 45-year-old truck driver stopped near a vending machine in Fukuyama, Japan.
00:09He was exhausted from work and was looking for an energy drink to help him power through the rest of the day.
00:14When he approached the vending machine, however, he noticed something surprising.
00:18A bottle of Orenamin C Energy Drink was already in the pickup tray.
00:23Thinking he'd lucked down on a free drink, the truck driver wasted no time chugging it down.
00:27What he didn't know was that this would be the last drink he would ever taste.
00:32Instead of the refreshing feeling he was looking for, he felt something horribly wrong with his body.
00:37A bitter, burning sensation quickly spread throughout his throat, followed by an intense wave of nausea.
00:43It wasn't long before he was lying on the road in excruciating pain.
00:47He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors discovered a lethal amount of paraquat dichloride in his system.
00:53Paraquat is an herbicide that was quite common in Japan at the time.
00:56More importantly, it's also highly toxic to humans.
01:00When ingested, it can lead to severe nausea, throat inflammation, internal chemical burns, and eventually death.
01:07This is also why it's been banned completely from over 70 countries to date.
01:11Unfortunately, despite knowing the reason for his illness, there was nothing the doctors could do to save his life.
01:16There's no antidote for the deadly chemical today, let alone back then.
01:20So, after hanging on to his life for a month, the truck driver passed away on the 30th of May 1985.
01:27At first, investigators assumed that given the nature of his work, he might have accidentally encountered the toxic substance while on duty.
01:33However, after reviewing his hall records, they found no trace of this herbicide or anything remotely linked to it.
01:39This left them with only one conclusion.
01:41The chemical was mixed into the drink he consumed just moments before collapsing in agony.
01:46But, with no leads or concrete evidence, they couldn't determine whether it was a murder or a self-inflicted act, resulting in the case getting shelved for the time being.
01:54Now, while this might sound absurd today, you have to understand that Paraquad was readily available in the country at the time.
02:01You didn't need any prescription or identification to purchase the chemical, leading to over 1,400 people using it as the poison of their choice in 1984 alone.
02:10In other words, the possibility of it being self-inflicted was just as high.
02:14However, just as the investigators were about to give up on this case completely, they received tragic news.
02:19Another person had fallen victim to the same poison after consuming Orenaminsi on the 5th of September.
02:26Then, another six days later, and one more two weeks after that.
02:30By this point, it was clear that someone was deliberately poisoning vending machine drinks across Japan.
02:36This was the work of a deranged serial killer.
02:39Unfortunately, this supposed killer was also extremely thorough.
02:42He didn't leave any fingerprint or DNA evidence on the drinks he tampered with, and only targeted vending machines with no CCTV cameras nearby.
02:50As for why his victims willingly drank the unknowingly poisoned drinks he left behind, that had to do with the buy one get one free promotion Orenaminsi was running around the time to entice younger consumers.
03:02However, since some people only wanted the one drink, they often left the second free drink near the vending machine as a gift for the next person.
03:09This was common enough that people didn't find the laced drinks suspicious, and drank them without a second thought.
03:15Sadly, this method was terribly effective.
03:18By the end of the year, this mysterious vending machine killer had claimed the lives of 12 victims, and it severely injured 35 more.
03:26But as I mentioned earlier, this killer was a master of hiding his tracks.
03:30He operated all across western and central Japan, as well as Tokyo, making it near impossible for investigators to pinpoint his location.
03:37The lack of evidence also made it difficult to figure out his motive.
03:41Some speculated that he was doing all this to extort money from Otsuka Pharmaceutical, the company that made Orenaminsi.
03:47This is because, in 1984, a group called the Mystery Men with 21 Faces threatened to poison food products unless the companies paid them money.
03:55So, some believed that the vending machine killer was a copycat and wanted something similar.
03:59However, this theory didn't last very long, because Otsuka Pharmaceutical didn't receive any demands or extortion letters from the perpetrator.
04:07Additionally, the killer also began using other drinks, like the drink Real Gold and even Coca-Cola.
04:13Hiyoraki Iwao, a Tokyo professor of criminal sociology, proposed a more disturbing theory regarding the killer's motives.
04:20He stated,
04:20It is not uncommon for Japanese who live under tremendous pressure, both on the job and in overcrowded communities, to let out their frustrations by hurting someone else.
04:30The person responsible may even wait around to see who buys the poison drink.
04:34He or she may find this is a kind of exhilarating release from the tensions of life in Japan.
04:39But, even if this was the truth, it still didn't bring investigators any closer to catching the suspect.
04:44Left with no other options, the authorities turned to the public and launched a nationwide campaign on the 27th of September.
04:49They placed signs and distributed leaflets, telling people to avoid suspicious free drinks and to properly inspect the capsules on their beverages before consumption.
04:58They also instructed vending machine owners to investigate their stock for any anomalies and told chemical shops to monitor their customers more closely.
05:05It's unclear how effective this campaign was, as the number of victims kept increasing even after its launch.
05:11But, then something unexpected happened.
05:14On the 17th of November, the murder spree stopped completely after the death of a 17-year-old girl.
05:20She was the only female to have died from the poisoning.
05:23It's possible that the person who committed these atrocities had a moral code against harming women.
05:27Though, that's nothing more than a baseless speculation.
05:30Due to the complete lack of evidence, the vending machine killer was never identified,
05:34cementing this case as one of the most chilling, unsolved mysteries in Japanese history.
05:39Little Rock Serial Stabber
05:45On April 11, 2021, the Little Rock Police Department received a distress call from South Pulaski Street regarding a potential homicide.
05:53When they arrived at the scene, they found a middle-aged woman lying on the street with stab wounds all over her body.
05:59This woman turned out to be 41-year-old Deborah Walker.
06:02She was homeless at the time and was living on the streets when this incident happened.
06:05She was quickly taken to the hospital where medical staff discovered that she had been stabbed at least 15 times.
06:12Despite lying on the street, bleeding for what may have been hours,
06:15she miraculously survived and managed to regain consciousness the same day.
06:19Investigators also visited her in the hospital to gather any information she could provide about her attacker.
06:25Unfortunately, she was attacked somewhere between 1 and 4 a.m.
06:28It was still dark outside and all that she saw was that her attacker was a tall, African-American male with a slender build.
06:35Now, in most other similar cases, such limited information would hardly be enough to generate any leads.
06:41But in this instance, the description Deborah provided left the investigators in disbelief.
06:45That's because her attacker's profile closely matched the perpetrator of another incident that took place about 8 months earlier in the surrounding area.
06:53The victim of that incident was 64-year-old Larry Eugene McChrishnan.
06:58He was living in Little Rock with his daughter, Sarah, who was on probation at the time.
07:02On the 20th of August, 2020, he had a medical emergency and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
07:07He was discharged from the hospital the next morning.
07:09However, when the hospital staff tried to contact Sarah so she could pick him up, she wasn't answering her phone.
07:15So, they gave Larry the information about a nearby homeless shelter and a bus token to get there.
07:20Later that day, Sarah came to the hospital looking for her father, only to learn that he'd been discharged hours ago.
07:26She then reached out to the homeless facility Larry was told about.
07:29But, they didn't know anything about his whereabouts either.
07:32The only option she had was to file a missing persons report and wait for the police to find Larry.
07:37Two days later, on the 24th of August, Sarah received the call she was waiting for.
07:42Tragically, it wasn't the news she had hoped for.
07:44According to the official report, the Little Rock Police Department found Larry's body on South Gaines Street at around 2am.
07:51They identified him by the hospital discharge papers he had on him.
07:55More importantly, he had multiple stab wounds on his body and was unfortunately already dead by the time the police arrived.
08:01His death was declared a homicide and the investigators began looking for clues almost immediately.
08:05This proved quite impossible at first, since there were no witnesses and there wasn't anything that could be used as evidence of the crime scene.
08:13However, after inspecting the surrounding houses, they had a major breakthrough.
08:16The CCTV camera outside a nearby house had captured the suspect walking down the street, when suddenly he spots Larry and begins walking towards him.
08:25After committing the crime, he tries leaving the area, only to stop, go back, and stab Larry one last time before fleeing.
08:32As mentioned earlier, this man matched the profile Debra gave to the police, leading investigators to believe she was attacked by the same person.
08:40While looking into older cases, they also connected the same killer to another murder that happened in the area on September 23rd, 2020.
08:47The victim of this incident was 62-year-old Jeff Welch, another homeless man who was living in an abandoned home.
08:53On the morning of that day, Jeff's friend found him on the porch of his house with a stab wound on his neck.
08:58By this point, the investigators knew they were dealing with a deranged serial killer.
09:02However, just as they uncovered the connection between the three attacks, another tragedy unfolded.
09:07On April 12th, 2023, a day after the attack on Debra Walker, another one of his victims was found on the Wright Avenue overpass.
09:15The only thing in common with these four attacks was that they all involved homeless individuals, and they all happened between 1 and 4 a.m.
09:22There seemed to be no clear pattern on how the perpetrator selected his targets.
09:26This left the Little Rock community terrified to leave their homes, fearing they might become the next victim of the serial killer on the loose.
09:32After realizing the potential danger of the situation, LRPD began spreading awareness about the man who was now being referred to as the Little Rock Slasher.
09:41They also turned to the public to ask for any information they could provide on the matter, and even announced a $20,000 reward.
09:46Unfortunately, despite having CCTV footage of the suspect, the Little Rock Slasher was never caught.
10:06The case remains a mystery to this day.
10:09Or at least that's what the official reports say.
10:11While researching this case, I came across an Arkansas-based blog called the Snarky Media Report.
10:17The authors of this blog did their own investigation into the Slasher case, and what they found was shocking to say the least.
10:24Put simply, they claimed to have found the true identity of the killer after talking to multiple locals and Debra,
10:30who, according to their blog, already knew the identity of her attacker.
10:33They also uncovered many details about this supposed killer, including his criminal record,
10:39which reveals that he has already served two prison terms in Arkansas for felony convictions of domestic violence.
10:44Also, his history with drug abuse, and how it made him very agitated and violent.
10:49The authors of this blog also claimed to have contacted the alleged killer's previous landlord,
10:53who gave them this image of the perpetrator.
10:56Which begs the question, if they know so much about the Slasher, including his legal name,
11:00why didn't they give this info to the police?
11:03That's where the case goes from creepy to bizarre.
11:06Since, according to them, they've already given everything they had to the relevant authorities.
11:11Despite this, the Little Rock police didn't make any progression in catching the serial killer.
11:15Snarky Media also published a video of the Little Rock mayor and police chief refusing to answer questions about the case.
11:22This seems to hint at something incredibly shady going on behind the scenes.
11:26That said, there's no way for me to confirm if the authors of the Snarky Media blog are telling the truth.
11:31For all we know, their whole investigation is made up,
11:33and this is just some random guy who has nothing to do with the four attacks,
11:37and it's all a ploy to make the Little Rock Police Department look bad.
11:40Most of the information they've gathered seems to check out with what's released publicly by the authorities.
11:45The only discrepancy in their investigation is the age of the suspect.
11:49Officials believe the Slasher to be young, possibly in his 20s,
11:52but the authors of this blog state that the person they found was 46 years old.
11:56Unfortunately, this is where the leads end.
11:58Whether Snarky Media is telling the truth or not remains uncertain.
12:02What is certain, however, is that the case remains unsolved to this day.
12:06The Little Rock Slasher is likely still out there and can continue his murder spree at any moment.
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13:42On February 17, 1997, 21-year-old Patrick McNeil went out with his friends.
13:48He spent the evening out drinking with his friends in the Dapper Dog Bar in Manhattan.
13:51During this time, he likely drank more than he could handle, resulting in him throwing up in the bar's bathroom
13:57before leaving in a highly unstable and disoriented state.
14:01Patrick was then seen turning left onto 90th Street, heading in the direction of the East River.
14:05This was the last time anyone would see Patrick alive.
14:09Following this night out, Patrick vanished into thin air.
14:12Despite extensive efforts, authorities found no leads or clues to his whereabouts.
14:17That is, until April 7, 1997, when Patrick's lifeless body was found in the East River 50 days after his disappearance.
14:25Duty Sergeant of the NYPD Special Investigation Division, Kevin Gannon, was called to the scene to assist with the body's recovery and examination.
14:33Kevin had been a seasoned detective for years, and by this point, there was little that could surprise him.
14:38However, the circumstances surrounding Patrick's death disturbed him to his core.
14:43The more he looked into it, the more strange the situation became.
14:47For instance, Kevin noted that Patrick's body wasn't decomposed enough to have been floating in the river for a week, let alone the past 50 days.
14:54He also found burn marks on Patrick's body, hinting at the possibility of him being restrained prior to his death.
15:00Kevin knew that something wasn't right.
15:03Unfortunately, due to the complete lack of evidence pointing to the contrary, Patrick's death was ruled as an accident.
15:08Kevin kept thinking over this feeling for the next year, before coming across the case that reinforced his suspicions even further.
15:16On February 13, 1998, another body was found in the same stretch of water.
15:21This body was later identified as 22-year-old Lawrence R. Andrews, who had gone missing on New Year's Eve after celebrating the event with his friends in Times Square.
15:29After getting on the case, it didn't take long for Kevin to notice eerie similarities between the two cases, as both bodies were found within yards of each other.
15:37Both of them were also young, Caucasian males and were on track to have successful careers.
15:42They both disappeared in one of the most crowded cities in the world without any trace as well.
15:47Most importantly, Kevin also found similar oddities in both cases, where the bodies were a lot less decomposed than they should have been, and there were burn marks indicating possible restraints before their death.
15:57Lawrence's case prompted Kevin to look for other similar cases across the U.S.
16:01He enlisted the help of fellow detective Anthony Duarte and a criminal justice professor, Dr. Lee Gilbertson.
16:08Together, they began investigating these cases, and soon, a chilling pattern began to emerge.
16:13In total, they found 45 different instances of young men dying under shockingly similar circumstances as Patrick and Lawrence.
16:21Most of them went out for a night of drinking, became more intoxicated than usual, disappeared shortly after, and were later found dead in some body of water.
16:29Almost all of them were also Caucasian, and on track to have a high-paying career like engineering after college.
16:35Most disturbingly, however, they also found graffiti of smiley faces near the bodies of at least a dozen different victims.
16:43This led to the three investigators creating the smiley face murder theory.
16:47According to this theory, these 45 and possibly many other deaths from the 1990s to 2010s weren't accidents in the slightest.
16:56Instead, they were murders committed by a single deranged person or an organized group of serial killers.
17:02This is the only logical explanation they could find to justify the many oddities and similarities in these incidents.
17:08That said, while this theory makes complete sense to some people, others aren't convinced one bit.
17:13Criminal profiler Pat Brown, for instance, called this theory ludicrous.
17:17She believes that the idea of connecting smiley faces, one of the most common graffiti symbols, with murders is just absurd, stating,
17:25It's not an unusual symbol.
17:27If you look in any area five miles square, I bet you could find a smiley face.
17:32The FBI also completely denied this theory in a statement, reading,
17:35The FBI has reviewed the information about the victims provided by two retired police detectives
17:40who have dubbed these incidents the smiley face murders
17:43and interviewed an individual who provided information to the detectives.
17:47To date, we have not developed any evidence to support links between these tragic deaths
17:51or any evidence substantiating the theory that these deaths are the work of a serial killer or killers.
17:57The vast majority of these instances appear to be alcohol-related drownings.
18:01However, despite these setbacks, the three men have stuck with their theory.
18:05They are still working on finding evidence to back their observations.
18:08That said, if their hunch is correct,
18:11it would mean one of the most wicked serial killers in American history is still at large today.
18:20I-70 Killer
18:21Robin Fuldauer was a 26-year-old Indiana University graduate
18:25who was working at an Indianapolis Payless Shoe Source store near I-70 in 1992.
18:31The 8th of April was supposed to be her day off.
18:34However, just as she was getting ready to relax at home,
18:37the employee who was supposed to man the counter called in sick.
18:40Left with no other options, her manager called Robin and told her to cover the shift instead.
18:45Robin wasn't very happy about this emergency shift change,
18:48but she reluctantly agreed, arriving at the store at 10am and starting her shift as usual.
18:53Unfortunately, her day was about to get a whole lot worse.
18:56Everything seemed normal until 2pm when the manager called the store for a routine check.
19:01To her surprise, Robin wasn't picking up the phone.
19:05She kept trying for a few minutes before giving up and calling the Speedway gas station neighboring the shoe store.
19:10One of the gas station employees, a friend of Robin's, went to the Payless store to see if she was doing okay.
19:16However, what she found inside left her confused.
19:19The store was in slight disarray and some of the shoes were missing from the shelves.
19:23The cash register was also open and there was no money in it.
19:26Most concerning of all, there were no signs of Robin anywhere.
19:31Her friend called out Robin's name, hoping she was just in the back and would respond.
19:35But when she didn't hear anything from Robin after minutes of standing in the store,
19:38she became worried and called the police at around 2.20pm.
19:42The cops arrived within minutes and began searching the store for clues on Robin's whereabouts.
19:46And it wasn't long before they made a devastating discovery.
19:50They found Robin lying in the store's back office, covered in blood.
19:54It was already too late.
19:57During questioning, an employee from the store across the street claimed to have seen a strange man loitering around the shoe store a couple hours earlier.
20:04According to this employee, the man sat on the curb for about a half hour, rifling through his bag and staring at the Payless store.
20:11They then saw the same man a few minutes later trying to hitch a ride back to Interstate 465,
20:16which was about a quarter mile from the store's location.
20:19Unfortunately, they were too far away to get a good look at the man's face.
20:22Given the money stolen from the register and without any other leads,
20:26investigators filed this as nothing more than a robbery gone wrong.
20:29However, they couldn't have been more wrong.
20:32Because just three days later, something similarly tragic happened to 23-year-old Patricia Smith and 32-year-old Patricia Makers.
20:40The two were working at a bridal shop in Wichita along I-70.
20:44The incident happened a little past their usual closing time as they were waiting for a customer who had a pickup.
20:48When they saw a man approaching the store, they assumed that it was the customer.
20:53However, this man drew a gun on the two after entering the store, took them to the back, and executed both with shots to the back of their heads.
21:00As the killer was leaving the store, he crossed paths with the actual customer the girls were waiting for.
21:06Without hesitation, he aimed his gun at the man and ordered him to head to the back of the store.
21:10By the customer defied his command and ran, narrowly escaping with his life.
21:14He later helped the police draw a sketch of the killer.
21:18Unfortunately, the sketch didn't provide much of a breakthrough.
21:21By this point, the authorities were certain they were dealing with a serial killer.
21:24But despite their efforts, the killer's spree continued.
21:27By May 7th, he had taken three more victims in small, low-traffic stores along the I-70 highway.
21:33By the time investigators managed to compile a few more sketches, the I-70 killer stopped his quest and went into hiding.
21:39That is, until 1993, when he claimed three more victims along I-35 in Texas.
21:46He tried to hide his identity by changing his weapon, but the investigators were quick to notice the similarities.
21:51One of his victims, Vicki Webb, also managed to miraculously survive after getting shot in the neck.
21:57If he were ever caught, Vicki's testimony would have been crucial in bringing him to justice.
22:01Though, the I-70 killer was never found, and the case went cold for nearly three decades.
22:06However, then, in 2021, investigators released CCTV footage of a murder that happened in 2001.
22:14The suspect in this footage looks strikingly similar to the I-70 killer sketches,
22:19potentially giving authorities the lead they need to finally catch him.
22:22It's likely only a matter of time before he runs out of places to hide and is captured.
22:27But, for now, he's still out there, evading police and leaving the case unresolved.
22:32We can only hope he doesn't take any more victims in the meantime.
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