Where in Michigan An Active Serial Killer May be Operating

A community with an active serial killer is perhaps the most unnerving, unsettling experience one could face in their town. Consider the world of the Zodiac in Northern California or BTK killer in Kansas.

There are several historical killers in Michigan, although few who have risen to enter the national zeitgeist. Are there any currently active in Michigan?

The question came up on the subreddit of Reddit called No Stupid Questions asking about active killers.

The FBI's National Tracking Efforts

The FBI keeps track on crimes like these on the national level. The general consensus is that there are as many as three dozen (36-ish) killers active. The most scrutinized category is the long haul trucker.

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Highway Serial Killers: A Michigan Focus

The FBI has framed their collective work as the Highway Serial Killer Initiative. The HSI has identified seven killings in Michigan that they consider being done at the hand of long haul trucker(s). One is located in Northeast Michigan, two in the Grand Rapids area, two more in Detroit and one in Flint. Just south of the Michigan state line, there are several killings on the cross-country Indiana Toll Road and Ohio Turnpike.

Addressing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

There is a national crisis in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. The state as well as tribes within Michigan and universities near reservations (CMU and NMU) all have resources dedicated to MMIW with Michigan offering access to the Canada: MMIW

‘hot spot’ areas are urban locations along highways with access to the Canadian border, such as Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, and cities along the dreaded I-29 corridor.

One theory about a lack of general knowledge about active killers posits that serial killers have been deprioritized by the news media with the thought this attention glamorizes the crimes and leads to copycats. Further, spree killers are less likely to be given names which put the focus on them and not their victims.

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A widely held theory is the presence of the Smiley Face Killer theory. Never formally accepted by law enforcement but spread widely in pop culture, the killers (as the theory holds that it's an active gang involved) target young men in the Midwest often found dead after a night of drinking. One West Michigan death from the late 2010s is seen as a potential Smiley Face victim.