Serial killer Luis Garavito might have the highest body count in history, and is considered one of the scariest serial killers of all time. A native of Colombia, Garavito admittedly killed upwards of 140 young boys in both his home country and nearby Ecuador between 1992 and 1999. His main target consisted of boys between the ages of six and 16, all of whom he lured off of the streets to rape, torture, and kill. Among other disturbing facts about Luis Garavito is that he might be released from prison very soon, because of Colombia's sentencing caps.
Garavito was born in Genova, Columbia in 1957. Not much is known about his early life, but according to his own testimony he is the oldest of seven children (all boys) and was emotionally, physically, and sexually abused as a child. His dark past found a way into his future. Luis Garavito crimes are horrifying, twisted, and something only someone who is deeply depraved could ever do.
Disturbing Facts About Luis Garavito, The Child-Killer Who May Soon Be Free,
He Raped And Tortured His Victims Before Killing Them
Before he killed his victims, Luis Garavito raped and tortured them. The bodies unearthed by law enforcement showed signs of broken bones, missing teeth, and being manually restrained. Garavito admitted to raping all of them in his confession. In some cases, he kept them tied up for days - on a leash of sorts, so they could walk around, but not escape - abusing them slowly in a build up to their deaths.
In the case of three of his victims whose bodies were found before they could decompose, their hands were tied behind their backs, there were bite marks left on them, and their genitals were severed.
He Checked Each Potential Victim Out Carefully Before Proceeding With His Awful Deeds
After getting the attention of his potential victims, Luis Garavito spent some time with them. While they were talking, usually in a public place, Garavito checked their overall character - possibly looking for those he could lure away to one of his hideouts - and made sure their skin was soft and not too dark. Apparently he had a "type" that consisted of naivety, with soft, light skin. He never explained what happened to the children who didn't meet his criteria.
He Pretended To Be A Priest, Among Other Things, To Lure In His Victims
Picking up children on the streets of Columbia apparently wasn't as easy as Luis Garavito made is seem. He had to pretend to be a priest, a street vendor, and even a bum in order to get their attention. Once he chose his victim, in some cases, he offered the child cake, candy and other treats to gain his trust. Other times, he gave the children drugs (if they seemed already addicted), or asked for their help with his cattle or sugarcane harvest. He had no cattle or sugarcane fields, and these were simply ways to get the children alone.
He Claimed To Be Drunk And Possessed While Killing His Victims
After his arrest, Luis Garavito immediately confessed and then asked for forgiveness for his sins. He claimed he was drunk and possessed by some sort of demon while he was torturing and killing his victims. He said he has sympathy for the children that he killed, and that after his release from prison, he wants to start a political career. Ironically, he plans to campaign on a platform that promises to help abused children.
He Killed Between 140 And 300 Young Boys
Upon his arrest, Luis Garavito confessed to 140 murders (he was charged in court with 172). He kept souvenirs of his victims, which included their passport photos and kept a detailed list about when each of them died. As law enforcement began investigating his burial sites, they discovered the body count might be even higher - Garavito may have killed 300 boys in all. The search still continues to this day, as many smaller towns are stumbling upon long-forgotten spots at the edges of their towns where the found bodies match his M.O.
He Buried 25 Bodies In A Mass Grave
Although a majority of Luis Garavito's victims were buried in single graves right outside of the towns they lived in, there was one mass grave attributed to him. In the city of Pereira, known for its coffee farms, Garavito led police to a mass grave with 25 bodies in it. The bodies were in a ravine, and were so decomposed that anthropologists had to reconstruct their skulls and run facial recognition software on them. While they had to victims teeth, there weren't enough dental records to compare them to, as not all of them had families that could afford dental care.
He Lured Poor, Parentless Children Off The Street In 54 Different Cities
Many of Luis Garavito's victims were street children, who either were orphaned or separated from their parents for a variety of reasons, most of which involved poverty. This made it easy for Garavito to prey on them, as there really weren't a lot of people who would notice their absence. He also did not stay in the same place for long. He moved from town to town, luring in and killing boys as he went. In all, his victims lived in 54 different cities in both Colombia and Ecuador.
He Slit His Victims' Throats And Dismembered Their Corpses
After raping and torturing his victims - remember, these are young boys between the ages of six and 16 - Luis Garavito slit their throats with a dull knife, dismembered their bodies, and then buried them in various places. He mentally kept track of their burial locations, to the point of being able to draw law enforcement a map.
His disposal practices are what got him caught. In 1998, the bodies of three children were found on the outskirts of Genua, Colombia. Law enforcement believed they had a serial killer on their hands, and were able to track down the mother of one of the boys, who told them about his older "friend." This led to a larger investigation, where law enforcement began looking at similar crimes elsewhere in the country.
He Might Someday Get Out Of Prison
When Luis Garavito was sentenced for his crimes, the country of Colombia had a law in place stating that no matter how horrific the crime was, the guilty person only had to spend 30 years in prison. Due to good behavior, Garavito's sentence was cut by eight years, making him eligible for release in 2021. As of right now, there is nothing that can be done about it, and he will almost certainly get out of prison that year. All of this, despite the fact that he was originally sentenced to 1,853 years in jail.
He Drew Police A Map Of His Victim's Burial Locations
In all, Luis Garavito was found guilty of 138 out of 172 counts of murder. When he was first arrested, he admitted to killing 140 boys, and drew police a map showing the burial locations for each of them. He also kept a list of the dates that he killed each of his victims.