A serial killer is a person who murders two or more people, in two or more separate events over a period of time, for primarily psychological reasons. There are gaps of time between the killings, which may range from a few hours to many years. In many cases, the exact number of victims assigned to a serial killer is not known, and even if that person is convicted of a few, there can be the possibility that he/she killed many more.

This list is a compilation of 8 modern child serial killers currently with the highest verifiable murder count, non medical, and working alone since records began

Luis Alfredo Garavito from Colombia – Proven Victim count 138 – Possible victims 400 +

Child-murderer, torture-killer, and rapist known as “La Bestia” (“The Beast”). Convicted of killing 138 victims but suspected of murdering over 400 victims, mostly street children. Sentenced to 1,853 years but could only be imprisoned for 30 which was reduced to 22 after aiding investigators.

Pedro Alonso López from Colombia – Proven Victim count 110 – Possible victims 350 +

Child-murderer and rapist, known as “The Monster of the Andes”. Targeted young girls, between the ages of 8 and 12. Arrested in 1980 and convicted in 1983 of killing 110 young girls but confessed to killing 300, exact total unknown. Though he may be the most prolific serial killer of the 20th century, he was released in 1998. Current whereabouts unknown

Daniel Barbosa from Colombia – Proven Victim count 72 – Possible victims 150 +

Child-murderer, believed to have possibly raped and killed over 150 victims, primarily young virgin girls. Confessed to killing 72 victims and incarcerated with Pedro Alonso Lopez. Considered to be intelligent and believed to have been motivated to kill from his stepmother abusing him as a child. He strangled young girls in Colombia and was arrested, but he escaped from prison and he started killing in Ecuador; rearrested in 1989, he was killed in jail

Andrei Chikatilo from Russian/Ukraine – Proven Victim count 53 – Possible victims 56

Known as Butcher of Rostov, The Red Ripper or The Rostov Ripper. Convicted of the murder of 53 women and children between 1978 and 1990. Executed in 1994. Three people were previously convicted and executed for his crimes

Ahmad Suradji – From Indonesia – Proven Victim count 42 – Possible victims 80 +

Convicted of strangling at least 42 women and girls in a series of ritual slayings he believed would give him magical powers. Executed by firing squad on 11 July 2008

Serhiy Tkach from Russia/Ukraine – Proven Victim count 36 – Possible victims 80/100

A former Ukrainian police criminal investigator, suffocated girls aged between 8 and 18 and performed sexual acts on their bodies after they were dead. Claims to have killed 100.

Dean Corll from USA – Proven Victim count 27/28 – Possible victims 29+

Known as “The Candy Man” because of his habit of handing out free candy to children at the school near his family’s candy company. He abducted teenage boys from low income areas in Houston with two accomplices in a van where he raped and tortured them. He was shot and killed by one of his teenage accomplices after he tried to kill him following a dispute at one of Corll’s parties

Javed Iqbal from Pakistan – Proven Victim count 74+ – Possible victims 100+

He raped, strangled and put acid into several children. Arrested, he claimed 100 victims. He was found guilty of 100 killings but 26 children were found alive after he hanged himself in prison

Child serial killers currently with the highest verifiable murder count in the UK

Thomas Hamilton from Scotland – Proven Victim count 17

The Dunblane school massacre occurred at Dunblane Primary School in the Scottish town of Dunblane on 13 March 1996. The gunman, 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton, entered the school armed with four handguns, shooting and killing sixteen children and one adult before committing suicide