Macon woman identified as 1 of 93 women Ga. serial killer claims he killed
ByWSBTV.com News Staff
ByWSBTV.com News Staff
MACON, Ga. — Investigators have identified a Macon woman killed 46 years ago as the earliest confirmed victim of Georgia’s most notorious serial killer.
Samuel Little, from Reynoldstown, Georgia, died at age 80 in a California prison. Before his death, he confessed to murdering 93 women between 1970 and 2014.
The FBI has confirmed his involvement in at least 60 of the murders, making him the most prolific serial killer in the U.S. Little confessed to killing eight Georgia women, including two in Macon.
On Thursday, investigators with the Bibb County Sheriff’s office identified a woman previously known as Macon Jane Doe as Yvonne Pless, who was killed in 1977. Pless is Little’s earliest confirmed victim to date.
Pless’s body was found off Arkwright Road. She remained unidentified for years. Pless was linked to Little through a previously unsubmitted sexual assault kit.
Pless’ family issued a statement to Channel 2 Action News, reading:
“We appreciate the interest in our family member’s story. When Captain Jones and Ms. Hutsell notified us that Yvonne had been identified, we were unaware she was deceased. We are mourning the loss of our loved one and have no comments at this time. We ask that our privacy be respected.
Little’s second Macon victim was Fredonia Smith, who was murdered in a park in 1982.
Little was born in Georgia but raised in Ohio. By the time he was 35, he had been arrested 26 times in eleven states for crimes including theft, assault, attempted rape and fraud.
He was arrested twice for murder in 1982, one in Florida and one in Mississippi, but acquitted. Little then spent two-and-a-half years in prison for attempted murder in California before his final arrest in 2012, which linked him to the murders of three more women in California. He was found guilty in 2014 and sentenced to life in the California State Prison.
While he was in prison, Little began to confess to dozens more murders and sketched and described his victims.
The majority of his victims were prostitutes, drug abusers or were homeless, which made it difficult to identify them.
Little was only charged and convicted in eight of the murders.
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Unmatched Confession: Black female between 35-40 years old killed in 1981.
Unmatched Confession: Black female between 23-25 years old killed in 1984. Victim possibly a college student.
Unmatched Confession: Black female between 22-23 years old killed in 1974. Photo:FBI
Unmatched Confession: Black female age 23 killed in 1984. Photo: FBI
White female between 23-25 years old killed in 1996.
Unmatched Confession: Black female between 23-25 years old killed in 1996. Victim possibly called "Sheila."
Unmatched Confession: Black female killed in 1992 or 1993.
Unmatched Confession: Black female between 26-27 years old killed in 1987.
Confession Matched to a Jane Doe: Black female between 28-29 years old killed in 1984. Victim picked up in Memphis, Tennessee.
Unmatched Confession: Black female killed in 1992 or 1993.
Unmatched Confession: Hispanic female in her 40s. Killed in 1988 or 1996. Victim possibly from Phoenix. Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: White female killed in 1970 or 1971.
Unmatched Confession: Black female, age 22, killed in 1971. Victim possibly called "Linda."
Unmatched Confession: Black female, age 28, killed in 1971 or 1972. Victim possibly worked on Homestead Air Force Base.
Unmatched Confession: Black male, age 18, killed in 1971 or 1972. Victim possibly called "Mary Ann" or "Marianne."
Confession Matched to a Jane Doe: White female, possibly of Cuban descent, between 25-35 years old. Killed in 1971. Victim possibly called "Sarah” or “Donna.” Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: Black female killed in 1984.
Unmatched Confession: Black female killed in 1984.
Unmatched Confession: Black female killed in 1977 or 1978. Met victim in Clearwater, Florida. Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: Black female, age 26, killed between 1976 and 1979. Met victim in St. Louis, Missouri. Victim possibly called "Jo." Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: White female killed in 1984. Met victim in Columbus, Ohio. Body disposed of somewhere in Northern Kentucky (city unspecified). Photo: FBI
Confession Matched to a Jane Doe: White female between 33-44 years old. Killed in 1982. Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: Black female between 30-40 years old killed in 1982. Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: Black female, age 24, killed between 1987 and the early 1990s. Photo: FBI
Confession Matched to a Jane Doe: White female between 20-25 years old killed in 1972. Victim possibly from Massachusetts. Photo: FBI
Confession Matched to a Jane Doe: Black female between 35-45 years old killed in 1977. Met the victim in Gulfport, Mississippi. Victim possibly from Pascagoula. Victim possibly worked at Ingalls Shipyard. Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: Black female, age 40, killed in 1993. Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: Black female killed in 1974. Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: Black female, age 28, killed between 1977 and 1982. Photo: FBI
Unmatched Confession: Black female between 25-28 years old killed between 1976 and 1979 or in 1993. Photo: FBI
