Crime Samuel Little, Serial Killer Who Confessed to 93 Murders, Dies at 80 Samuel Little's cause of death has not been announced By Chris Harris Chris Harris Twitter Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. An award-winning journalist who has worked for Rolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 31, 2020 09:30 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Wise County Sheriff's Office. Samuel Little, who the FBI described as "the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history", died on Wednesday at the age of 80. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed Little's death in a press release. Little, who confessed to 93 murders, "was pronounced deceased on Dec. 30 at 4:53 a.m., at an outside hospital." An official cause of death is still pending. Little was serving three consecutive life sentences for the strangling deaths of three Los Angeles women back in the late 1980s. DNA evidence linked him to all three murders. Did a Convicted Serial Killer Actually Murder More Than 90 People Across the U.S.? Police Investigate A jury convicted him of first-degree murder in September of 2014. In 2018, Little told federal investigators he killed a total of 93 people over more than three decades. Following the confessions, Little provided hand-drawn portraits of 16 women he said were his victims, The FBI confirmed Little as the most prolific serial killer the United States has ever seen. How Did Samuel Little, America's 'Most Prolific Serial Killer,' Get Away with It for Years? Authorities said that Little specifically targeted women who were addicted to drugs or working as prostitutes, believing detectives wouldn't work hard to solve the murders. The killings happened all across the country. Little had a rap sheet with more than 75 arrests, dating to age 16, and he was acquitted of one murder for which he later claimed he'd committed. His killing spree lasted from the 1970 to 2005. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Little's multiple slayings occurred in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio, California, Indiana, Arizona, New Mexico and South Carolina. Little's first confession was about the 1994 murder of Denise Christie Brothers in Odessa, Texas. It was reported last year that the serial killer — a one-time competitive boxer — was in poor health.