Serial Killers Thrived Between 1970 and 2000 – Here's Why

From the 1970s to the 1990s, a chilling phenomenon swept through North America: serial killers. Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy became household names, their crimes terrifying communities and dominating headlines. But why did so many serial killers emerge during those decades? And why does it seem like they've disappeared since then? The answer lies in war, technology, and a changing society.

Born After World War II, Raised in Chaos

Many experts link the "Golden Age" of serial killers to the aftermath of World War II. Children born during or after the war often grew up in unstable homes with fathers suffering from undiagnosed PTSD. At the time, society didn't recognize or treat the emotional scars war left behind. Peter Vronsky, author of "Sons of Cain: A History of Serial Killers," notes that serial killers come from our own communities and world. "These are not aliens that arrive from another planet," Vronsky told BBC. "They're children who grow up to become these serial offenders."

Take Richard Ramirez, for example — otherwise known as the Night Stalker. He grew up surrounded by violence. According to Rolling Stone, Ramirez's cousin — a Vietnam vet suffering from PTSD — told him graphic stories of sexually assaulting women and even murdered his wife in front of Ramirez. That trauma shaped him. Neuroscientist James Fallon explains that psychopathy, often found in serial killers, doesn't always lead to violence. But when "you bring a dad with PTSD, a dominating mother, or abuse into the picture, all bets are off," Fallon said, as reported by Rolling Stone.

The 1970s: A Killer's Playground

The 1970s created an environment that made it far too easy for serial killers to hunt their victims. People hitchhiked freely, left doors unlocked, and trusted strangers. Without modern tools like DNA testing or national crime databases, police struggled to connect crimes, giving killers a dangerous advantage.

Notorious serial killer Ted Bundy abducted women from crowded college campuses, and killers like John Wayne Gacy and the Hillside Stranglers lured victims with little resistance. Media fascination turned these predators into household names, feeding their egos and inspiring copycats.

How Technology Killed the Golden Age of Serial Killers

By the late 1990s, serial killers' reign of terror began to falter. Why? Society got smarter. Home security systems became common, DNA testing caught up, and people became wary of hitchhiking. Serial killers couldn't operate as easily anymore. "What ends up happening is, as a result of these crimes, women stop hitchhiking," former detective Paul Holes told Rolling Stone. "So now that victim pool is no longer there."

Technology didn't just deter killers; it helped catch them faster. Tools like familial DNA, which led to the Golden State Killer's 2018 arrest, closed the gap that once allowed serial killers to evade capture for years.

Where Did They Go? Online, Mostly

But let's be clear: Serial killers didn't vanish — they adapted. With traditional targets harder to access, killers moved to new hunting grounds. "Technology, which is preventing them from certain types of crimes, is now allowing them to pursue other types of crimes," Holes explained to Rolling Stone.

The Craigslist Killer, for example, found his victims online. Instead of stalking streets or homes, modern killers now exploit the anonymity of the internet to find vulnerable targets.

Did the Media Miss the Bigger Picture?

Media coverage in the 1970s and 1980s largely focused on white, male killers like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. But serial killers from other backgrounds and their victims often went unnoticed. According to Rolling Stone, Vronsky noted that many Black serial killers targeted non-white victims, who received far less attention due to the media's racial biases. The Atlanta Child Murders, where nearly 30 Black children and adults were killed, highlights this imbalance.

A Chilling Warning for the Future

While the "Golden Age" of serial killers has ended, experts warn that history could repeat itself. Criminologist Michael Arntfield points to recent social and economic upheaval as potential fuel for another surge. "We are living in the throes of an equally tumultuous and polarizing time," Arntfield told BBC.

Ultimately, experts agree that no single reason explains why serial killers emerged during those decades. Trauma, opportunity, and biology all collided to create a perfect storm. "It's a cocktail of things, it's never one thing," Vronsky told BBC.

What changed by the 2000s wasn't human nature — it was society. Better technology, smarter victims, and fewer opportunities forced serial killers out of the shadows. But as history shows, predators always adapt. The question isn't if they'll return, but where they'll strike next.

References: Why Were There So Many Serial Killers Between 1970 and 2000 — and Where Did They Go? | Why were there so many serial killers in the 1980s?