One episode during the fifth season of the CBS crime drama, Criminal Minds, focuses on a serial killer who is also a truck driver. He leaves a trail of bodies along a New Mexico highway, cases which are eventually connected. Mention is made of a database that is used by law enforcement professionals to investigate highway murders. This is not far from reality.
FBI National Highway Killings Initiative
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation developed the National Highway Killings Initiative in 2009. It started after an agent from Oklahoma identified a pattern of homicide cases along I-40 in 2004. These cases were compiled and sent to the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP).
ViCAP started in 1985. It consists of a national dabatase that catalogues numerous types of violent crimes including:
- sexual assaults
- missing persons
- unidentified bodies
- homicides
The database includes information on cases across all 50 states, some dating back about 20 years. Many are considered to be cold cases. It was previously accessible only to the FBI, but has been available for use by other law enforcement agencies since 2008.
ViCAP also allows law enforcement investigators to request assistance from the FBI regarding any of these crimes. The National Highway Killings Initiative particularly focuses on murders, but is designed to help in other cases as well. An online link is available where police officials can enter their cases, then search for possible matches.
Police Investigation Results
Thus far, ViCAP has identified 500 murder cases along U.S. highways with 200 suspects that may be related. Generally, victims are prostitutes or addicts who are soliciting at truck stops or gas stations. Their bodies are often found dumped along an interstate after sexual assault and murder. Suspects are often long-haul truck drivers who travel the highways.
Since the cases may involve several states with multiple jurisdictions, investigations can become complicated. Using the ViCAP database simplifies the process. Behavioral analysis unit agents from the FBI are also available to law enforcement who require assistance in other aspects of the cases. This service is offered free of charge by the FBI. Free seminars are also offered for police investigators.
The initiative has been responsible for the arrests of ten suspects who are suspected in 30 murders that cross state lines, including one trucker found in Tennessee who may have committed four murders.
Resources
Highway Serial Killings: New Intitiative on an Emerging Trend. fbi.gov. Accessed March 20, 2010.
Press Room: Inside the FBI. Highway Serial Killings Initiative March 6, 2009. fbi.gov. Accessed March 20, 2010.
Melissa Murfin - Melissa is a physician assistant in endocrinology with a further specialization in thyroid and parathyroid disorders. She is also a ...
