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stereotypes and hyperbole create myths and great distortions in the public consciousness regarding the true dynamics and patterns of serial murder in the US.
    The media are not alone in their misrepresentation of serial murder. Law enforcement professionals also circulate misinformation and stereotypes about serial homicide due to their reliance on anecdotal information rather than scientifically documented patterns of serial killer behavior. Perhaps this should not be surprising becauseprofessionals involved in serial murder investigations, including detectives, prosecutors, and pathologists, often have very limited prior exposure to such cases. As noted by the FBI in its 2005 report on serial murder, the extreme rarity of serial homicide means that even a veteran professional’s total experience may be limited to a single investigation, so that he or she is likely to extrapolate the factors from that one experience when presented with a new serial murder case to solve.
    As a result of this investigative practice, certain stereotypes and misconceptions take root among law enforcement authorities regarding the nature of serial homicide and the characteristics of serial killers. These stereotypes and misinformation are disseminated to the general public by state authorities via the news media in their official statements about the status of serial murder investigations. Because the news media must rely on state authorities to provide both the formal definitions of serial homicide and the details of particular cases, they generally report what they are told by authorities without question. At the same time, law enforcement authorities must rely on the news media to distribute their formal statements to the public. A quid pro quo relationship exists between law enforcement authorities and the news media that leads them to perpetuate stereotypes about serial killers without even being aware of it. In chapters 9 and 10, I critique the symbiotic relationship of law enforcement officials and the news media that causes them to disseminate myths about serial killers.
    The reality of serial homicide has been hidden from the public because serial killers are presented inaccurately by state officials and the news media. Popular stereotypes and misinformation have obscured the tremendous diversity that exists among serial killers in terms of their demographic profiles, personalities, motives, and behavioral patterns.
    The Reality of Serial Homicide in the US
    By now, it should come as no surprise that the public typically over-estimates the number of serial killers operating in America. As measured by opinion polls, the general public believes that serial killers are responsible for about 25 percent of all murders in the US. In reality, serial killings account for no more than 1 percent of all murders committed in the US. Based on recent FBI crime statistics, there are approximately fifteen thousand murders annually, so that means there are no more than 150 victims of serial murder in the US in any givenyear. 2 The FBI estimates that there are between twenty-five and fifty serial killers operating throughout the US at any given time. If there are fifty, then each one is responsible for an average of three murders per year. Serial killers are always present in society. However, the statistics reveal that serial homicide is quite rare and it represents a small portion of all murders committed in the US. Stated differently, serial killers are not nearly as prevalent or prolific as they are believed to be by most Americans.
    Persistent misinformation, stereotypes, and hyperbole presented in the media have combined with the relative rarity of serial murder cases to foster a number popular myths about serial murder. The most common myths about serial killers encompass such factors as their race, gender, intelligence, living conditions, and victim characteristics. The FBI examined a number of such myths in its 2005 report Serial Murder: