People, not plot devices
A complete archive cannot be only a catalog of offenders. It must document whose disappearances were dismissed, which communities were underserved, and how families and investigators worked to restore names to unidentified people.
Accurate identification returns personhood to someone reduced in a case file to a number or description. We do not publish speculative identities, private family details, or graphic imagery. Victim biographies will be added only from reliable public records and with care for surviving relatives.
Several cases involved victims from communities whose reports received inadequate attention: people engaged in sex work, Indigenous women, LGBTQ+ people, children in poverty, and people without stable housing.
See Robert Pickton, Gary Ridgway, and Jeffrey Dahmer.
Identification work continues long after arrest or conviction. A case may be connected through DNA, records, witness accounts, or a confession later supported by independent facts. That is why our pages specify whether a number is confirmed, convicted, alleged, or disputed.
If you hold a credible public source that corrects a name, date, or status, use our protected corrections form. Do not send private addresses, graphic material, accusations, or information that could interfere with an active investigation.
This is a historical publication, not a law-enforcement agency. Information about an immediate threat should go to local emergency services. Tips about an open investigation should go directly to the responsible agency—not to a fan site or social-media account.
Mature content notice
This site documents real murders, mass violence, abuse, and other disturbing events. It does not require or collect your date of birth.
By continuing, you confirm that you are 18 years of age or older.