9 Of The Most Deranged California Serial Killers In History

Published October 13, 2022
Updated May 21, 2024

The ‘Doodler’: The California Serial Killer Who Has Never Been Caught

Doodler California Serial Killer

Public DomainA composite sketch of the so-called Doodler from 1974.

Between January 1947 and September 1975, a killer stalked gay neighborhoods in San Francisco. Dubbed the “Doodler” because he often sketched a picture of his victims — then used the sketch as a pickup line — this mysterious killer murdered six men.

“He’d pick a guy somewhere at the bar, he’d sit at the table, he’d sketch them, he was a good artist, so then he would walk up to the guy and say like my doodle?” San Francisco Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan explained, according to ABC 7 News.

Police know about the Doodler’s peculiar M.O. because he left some surviving victims in his wake. But those victims, one a diplomat, another an actor, didn’t want to be associated with “gay” crimes — and refused to engage with the case beyond reporting the initial attack.

The Doodler Composite

Public DomainHow the California serial killer dubbed the “Doodler” might look today.

Even so, police in San Francisco did identify a potential suspect as they investigated the Doodler’s crimes. According to In Magazine, they determined that the Doodler was a thin, tall, Black man between the ages of 19 and 25.

They also knew that the Doodler had certain locations where he liked to take his victims after picking them up. As NBC News reported, all of the Doodler’s victims were found near Ocean Beach or Golden Gate Park.

With these clues in hand, investigators even pursued a specific suspect in the 1970s. But though this person — whose name has never been revealed — cooperated with police, he was never charged with a crime.

But there is still hope that the Doodler will be unmasked. According to ABC 7 News, police found DNA evidence on the Doodler’s sixth victim. That DNA could possibly solve the mystery of this California serial killer for good.

author
Kaleena Fraga
author
A senior staff writer for All That's Interesting since 2021 and co-host of the History Uncovered Podcast, Kaleena Fraga graduated with a dual degree in American History and French Language and Literature from Oberlin College. She previously ran the presidential history blog History First, and has had work published in The Washington Post, Gastro Obscura, and elsewhere. She has published more than 1,200 pieces on topics including history and archaeology. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
Based in Brooklyn, New York, John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of expertise include modern American history and the ancient Near East. In an editing career spanning 17 years, he previously served as managing editor of Elmore Magazine in New York City for seven years.
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Fraga, Kaleena. "9 Of The Most Deranged California Serial Killers In History." AllThatsInteresting.com, October 13, 2022, https://allthatsinteresting.com/california-serial-killers. Accessed July 27, 2025.