The Terrifying Truth About These Serial Killer Families

According to information provided by the FBI, serial killers are not the reclusive loners that many picture them as being. The bureau points out that a good number of killers that walk among us have gainful employment, a functional home life, and even spouses and children. In fact, some of the most notorious serial murderers in recent times have been seemingly typical family types. While the arrests of men like Dennis Rader (the BTK killer) and Green River Killer Gary Ridgway shocked their respective communities, their outward appearance of social normalcy isn't a rare trait within the spectrum of serial killers.

But while it's certain that these killers can certainly be otherwise functional members of society, it's almost equally as certain that they commit their brutality alone and unaided by others. The most famous exception to this line of thought is the Henry Lee Lucas/Ottis Toole murder duo, who may have killed more than 100 people with their combined efforts. Nonetheless, the serial killer generally works in solitude. Yet some chilling statistical outliers might interest true crime enthusiasts. There have been documented cases in history where siblings, cousins, or entire families work in conjunction to eliminate their victims. Though the motives are varied, many are rooted in either financial gains or sexual desire.

Here's a look at some of the most notorious families that used murder as a way to while away the time.

When 16-year-old Heather West disappeared in 1987, she left behind five siblings that were subjected to the abuse and neglect by their parents. Fred and Rose West eventually had their children removed from their Gloucester, U.K. home in 1992. Their children told social workers that the "family joke" was that their missing sister was buried under the family's patio. Six months later, police decided to investigate. CNN reports that though no missing person case was ever filed on Heather West, the police couldn't find her. Under interrogation, Fred West admitted to killing his daughter, though Rose denied having any part of it. 

A warrant was issued, and several human femurs were found in the Wests' garden. Additional searches turned up the remains of several others. With the evidence of additional murders mounting against him, Fred West confessed to two more murders, an 18-year-old named Shirley Robinson and a 16-year-old named Alison Chambers. Days later, he passed a note to his attorney in which he wrote that he wanted to confess to the murders of nine additional people. 

His confessional led investigators to the body of the family's 8-year-old stepdaughter Charmaine, who had been killed by Rose in 1971. Fred West concealed the body, and she had never been reported missing. He was charged with 12 murders and committed suicide while awaiting trial, while his wife Rose was convicted and sentenced to life behind bars. How many they actually raped, tortured, and killed may never be fully known. 

On the night of April 22, 2016, eight people were murdered execution-style in their homes. The victims were all members of the Rhoden family, leading investigators to believe that the murders were all connected. The victims were living in three adjacent houses as part of a multi-generational family that included a former married couple, Christopher Rhoden Sr., and his ex-wife Dana. Their children, Christopher Jr., Clarence, and Hannah, also resided on the property, along with the senior Rhoden's brother Kenneth and their cousin, Gary. Also murdered with the family was Hannah Gilley, Clarence Rhoden's fiancé (via People Magazine). Three young children were left unharmed at the crime scene and placed into protective custody after the murders were discovered.

A custody disagreement was shown to be the motive for the murders. The father of Hannah Rhoden's 3-year-old was a man named Jake Wagner, who spent four months planning the murders (per Fox 19). He enlisted the help of his mother and father, Angela and George Wagner, as well as his older brother, George IV (per The Cincinnati Enquirer). The Wagners stormed into each of the Rhoden homes and tried to rid the world of problems tied to Jake's custody dispute. 

The Wagners were arrested in 2018. In a plea agreement with the state, Jake pled guilty to the murders in exchange for testimony against his family. He was given life without parole, while his mother was given 30 years. Jake's father and brother have yet to go to trial (per Fox 19).

Though they were believed to be active for a period of a few months in 1887, the Kelley family allegedly killed as many as 11 people at their Oak City, Kansas tavern. 

The New York Sun reports that the family, led by patriarch William Kelley, was aided in the robbery and murders of nine men and two women. Motivated by robbery, the entire family of four was in on the crimes. When travelers stopped at the tavern and needed a place to stay for the night, the Kelleys sized them up and determined if they would be worth robbing. The victim was seated atop a trap door, which dropped them into the cellar. If they didn't die from the fall, they would be later killed by an ax (via The Hillsboro Recorder). 

When the family suddenly vanished in December 1887, a traveler stopped by the tavern and noticed a horrible smell. Investigating the basement, he discovered the rotting corpses of several men. After reporting it, a posse was formed to search for the Kelleys.  After they were tracked down, William's wife Kate was atop a horse that bucked her, breaking her neck. Bill and Kit, Kelley's son and daughter, were caught and hung by their necks from a tree by the posse. William managed to evade capture for a brief time before he, too, was dancing from the end of a rope.

Historians debate whether or not there was a notorious clan of 16th-century cannibals living in a cave near well-traveled crossroads in Ayrshire, Scotland. But even if a snippet of the legend of Sawney Bean is true, it's a chilling tale that's sure to send shivers down the spine of any late-night traveler.

The legend surrounds Bean and his wife, who established a home in a cave. A tanner by trade, Bean felt that robbing and killing travelers was a more lucrative vocation. But what to do with the bodies? Bean solved this conundrum by consuming their flesh (via Historic UK). Bean and his wife had many children, who — through years of inbreeding — had children of their own. Over time, a bloodthirsty clan of Bean cannibals resided in the cave, orchestrating attacks on anyone who passed by, subsisting off the flesh of their victims. Their end came after a couple was attacked one night after leaving a nearby fair. The woman was killed and disemboweled at the scene, but the man fought back diligently until a larger group of passersby stumbled across the melee. Outnumbered, the Beans fled to the safety of their cave. Forced out by the law, they were tried and hung by their necks.

Though written about in numerous publications, the validity of the story is questioned. Historian Dr. Louise Yeoman purports that the tale of Sawney Bean was concocted as anti-Scotsman propaganda in the 18th century in response to the Jacobite uprisings (per the BBC). 

For a solid six years, authorities maintain that a Bonnie and Clyde-like couple terrorized the Rostov region of Russia, killing as many as 30 people (via The Independent). But the couple did not work entirely alone. Inessa Tarverdiyeva and her beau Roman Podkopayev were able to succeed in their criminal activity with the help of Tarverdiyeva's daughter Viktoria as well as Podkopayev's sister and brother-in-law, Anastasia and Sergei Sinelnik. Sergei was a police officer who was able to help the murderous family evade suspicion for years.

With robbery as their primary motive, the gang would leave their home for what were purported to be weekend camping trips that were, in reality, crime sprees (per the Daily Mail). HuffPost reports that they would ambush victims — sometimes entire families — and relieve them of their valuables. At times, the gang would not only kill their marks but also take pleasure in prolonging their agony. One report from the Daily Mail tells of how the gang gouged out the eyes of two teenage girls they attacked. They frequently targeted law enforcement officers, with six among their murder victims.

During an ID check soon after a robbery, The Independent reports that Podkopayev was killed in a shootout by police when they attempted to arrest him. Tarverdiyeva was arrested and charged, as were the Sinelniks and Viktoria Tarvediyeva. When asked why she would commit such heinous crimes, Tarvediyeva quipped, "Money to live and hatred of police officers."