Pedro Lopez is one of the most notorious serial killers in the world. But despite that, he isn't locked away in jail. In fact, no one knows exactly where he is.
Lopez Said Traumatic Childhood Pushed Him To Crime
Lopez claimed to have an awful childhood, filled with physical and sexual abuse and neglect. His mother was a prostitute, and Lopez claimed he witnessed countless acts of prostitution, which he said damaged his psyche. He was only eight years old when his mother caught him sexually assaulting his younger sister and kicked him out of the house for good.
Lopez said he had some other traumatizing experiences before he ultimately joined a street gang and began stealing and selling cars to get by. Pedro Lopez was arrested in 1969 for stealing a car, and he was sentenced to seven years in prison.
While serving his time, he reportedly was brutally gang-raped by three inmates. In response, he then made a shiv and murdered those responsible.
Lopez's actions were deemed to be self-defense, so he only got an additional two years added to his sentence.
Lopez's Killing Spree Is Discovered
Once he was released in 1978, Lopez started a gruesome crime spree of raping and murdering younger girls from across Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
His actions were revealed in 1979, when a flash flood in Ecuador, unearthed four of his victims.
At the same time, Lopez attempted to abduct Maria Poveda, a twelve-year-old girl from Ambato but failed to do so when her mother stopped him.
Lopez Admitted To Some Of His Heinous Crimes
Lopez became known as the "Monster of the Andes" in 1980 when he led police to the graves of 53 of his victims in Ecuador. All of the victims were girls between nine and twelve years old.
Lopez admitted that he would stalk his victims for several days before kidnapping them, raping them, and strangling them to death. He would bury their bodies in shallow graves.
Most of Lopez’s victims were girls from poor indigenous communities because he said there wasn't as much dedication to searching for them once they were reported to be missing.
Lopez was then convicted of the murder of 110 people in 1980, though Lopez went on to confess to a further 240 murders.
Lopez Spent Less Than Two Decades Behind Bars
Lopez was sentenced to 16 years in prison, the maximum penalty for murder in Ecuador. He was released two years early, in 1994, for good behavior. He was then arrested as an illegal immigrant and deported to Colombia.
Once in Colombia, he went to trial for another murder. During that case, he was declared insane and he was sent to a mental hospital until 1998 when a second evaluation deemed him sane and released him.
He was released on a $ 50 bail and was told to report to the police monthly, something which he never did.
The last known sighting of Lopez was by his own mother, who he visited in his hometown of El Espinal.
No One Knows Where Lopez Is Today
If Lopez is still alive today, his location is unknown to authorities. He would currently be 73 years old.
Interpol issued a warrant for his arrest over a fresh murder in 2002 but has not been able to recover Lopez. Some people believe he is still out there, living off the grid and blending in with other locals who may not realize they are mingling with serial killers. Others think he is most likely dead at this point, perhaps murdered for the heinous acts he committed throughout his life.
Lopez was named the “most prolific serial killer” by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006, but this record was later removed from the book because people complained that it turned killing into a competition.
]]>The Inquisitr
