Pedro Alonzo Lopez, one of the world's most notorious serial killers, was released from prison early and his current whereabouts remain unknown.
Early Crimes and Imprisonment
Lopez, from Colombia, began his murder spree after being jailed in 1969 for vehicle theft. During his time in prison, he claimed he was sexually assaulted by fellow inmates and killed them with a makeshift blade. This added two years to his sentence, but after his release in 1978, he started raping and killing young girls across Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The Killing Spree
He targeted vulnerable girls from impoverished backgrounds, strangling them and hiding their bodies under newspapers or foliage. At one point, he was killing three girls a week. In 1979, a flash flood in Ambato, Ecuador, exposed some of his victims, leading to his capture after he attempted to abduct a 12-year-old girl named Maria Poveda, whose mother thwarted the kidnapping.
Police discovered 53 burial sites with girls aged between nine and 12. Lopez was convicted of 110 murders and reportedly posed with a victim's skull. He claimed a traumatic childhood, including witnessing his mother's sexual activities, being abused, and thrown out at age eight for abusing his sister. He said he was later sexually abused by a man who offered him shelter and again at an orphanage.
Confessions and Release
Lopez confessed to 240 additional killings, stating he preferred Ecuadorian girls because they were "more gentle and trusting, more innocent." Police officer Rothman Rios recalled, "It was weird, he remembered everything. And descriptions of all the girls. He knew where their bodies were. He was satisfied showing us the bodies. He felt no remorse, no guilt, no nothing."
Despite his crimes, Ecuador's legal system imposed a maximum 16-year sentence. He was released early on August 31, 1994, for "good behaviour" after 14 years. Deported to Colombia, he was found mentally ill and committed to a psychiatric hospital in 1998 but later declared fit and released after posting £50 bail on the condition he report monthly to police, which he never did.
Whereabouts Unknown
An Interpol arrest warrant was issued in 2002, but he was never found. A 2019 documentary, "Monster of the Andes," featured an interview where Lopez called himself the "man of the century" and said killing children made him feel "stronger and bigger."
