For better or worse, serial killers continue to fascinate us. You can find their stories in a variety of media, from books to television to podcasts. We’ve all seen or heard the horror stories of Bundy, Dahmer and Ridgeway. Yet a name stands out not only because of the scale of his crimes, but also because he has been all but forgotten.
Pedro Lopez, known as the “Monster of the Andes,” went on a killing spree in the late 1970s and eventually confessed to murdering more than 350 girls between the ages of 7 and 13 in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Guinness World Records lists him as the most prolific serial killer of modern times. Check out the history of one of the world’s most ruthless killers you’ve never heard of.
For the next 6 years, Lopez supported himself by stealing cars and selling them to chop shops. When he was finally caught and arrested, he again found himself the victim of sexual abuse when he was gang raped in prison. This time, however, Lopez would not be a helpless victim, and the “Monster of the Andes” was born when he stalked and killed the men responsible with a make shift knife.
When he was finally released, his true reign of terror would begin, and shock the world.
