Deadliest serial killer in US history confesses, describes Fort Myers murder victim

In 2018 Texas Ranger James Holland contacted the Fort Myers Police Department and informed us that Samuel Little had confessed to killing a black female in Fort Myers in 1984. In December of 2018 FMPD Homicide Detectives Maalisa Langton and Dan Losapio, along with Assistant State Attorney Sara Miller, traveled to Decatur, Texas, and interviewed Little at the Wise County Sheriff’s Department.

Little provided Detectives with a detailed confession; however, he was unable to provide the details needed to identify the victim, according to FMPD. Detectives immediately began working closely with the Lee County Medical Examiner’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and surrounding agencies in efforts to identify the victim. Detectives have also met with families of homicide victims from the 70’s and 80’s.

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On Tuesday, FMPD detective Maalisa Langton held a news conference. Langton said, she, along with a cold case unit did discover a death investigation of a black female in 1985 in the month of May, “This female was found through the intersection of Evans Avenue and Franklin Street. Her body was partially decomposed but never identified. Her cause of death was deemed a medical issue.”

According to Langton Little said he knew the victim well, who was 26 at the time, and had dinner several times with the family. He told detectives the victim lived near a liquor store on “Immokalee Road or Immokalee Street” which appeared to be a “main road.”

Little said, at the time of the murder he was driving either a yellow 1978 Eldorado which he had just purchased in Fort Myers, or a black Thunderbird.

Samuel little also went by the aliases of Samuel McDaniel, Sam McDowell, William Clifton, William Lewis and William little.

MORE: How a Texas Ranger convinced serial killer Samuel Little to confess to murdering 93 people

Detectives continue to work with FBI ViCAP Crime Analyst Christie Palazzolo and FBI ViCAP Liaison Angela Williamson. Detectives are aware that the Fort Myers victim’s death may have originally been ruled an overdose, an accident, undetermined causes, or may never have been discovered, per the release. It is also possible that the murder may not have occurred in 1984. Little spent time in Fort Myers and Collier County in the 70’s through the 90’s.

In August of 2019, Texas Ranger James Holland met with Detective Langton during a homicide conference in Texas and advised her that Little had recently provided him with two drawings of the Fort Myers victim.

Synopsis of confession