5 Creepy Serial Killers With Disturbing Montana Connections

Typically, Montana is an amazing, and safe, place to call home. However, that doesn't mean we don't have moments in our state's past that are less than perfect. Did you know that some of America's highest-profile serial killers in Montana that have or had ties to our little corner of the world? Crime and murders in Montana aren't as common as they are elsewhere in the country, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist. Here are five Montana serial killers that are sure to send chills down your spine:

1. Edward Edwards

Edward Wayne Edwards was a known conman living in Ohio before he escaped from jail there and traveled around the country, robbing gas stations along the way. He eventually made his way to Billings, where he served time at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge for robbing a service station at gunpoint. He wasn't revealed to be a serial killer until late in his life, but he died of natural causes before he could be executed for his crimes.

2. Wayne Nance, aka the Missoula Mauler

Wayne Nance, a Montana native, is believed to have killed at least six people in Missoula and Ravalli counties between 1974 and 1986. These were some of the most famous murders in Montana during this time period.

3. Edmund Kemper

Edmund Kemper was raised by his mother in Helena. He eventually moved to California to live with his father, only to get turned away by his mother when he tried to return to Helena. Instead, he moved in with his grandparents in California, whom he brutally murdered. He spent five years in a state hospital before going on a horrifying killing spree that earned him the nickname The Coed Butcher. He's currently in his 70s and serving a life sentence in prison, though thankfully not in Montana.

4. David Meirhofer

Gallatin County is a beautiful and peaceful place. Unfortunately, it's also the place where David Meirhofer committed all of his known murders, making him one of the most notorious Montana serial killers. He was convicted of killing four people between 1967 and 1974, three of them children. Hours after confessing to the killings, he hanged himself in his jail cell.

5. Ted Kaczynski

Most people don't think of the Unabomber as a serial killer, but he did kill three people, and he would have killed many more had his homemade bombs been more effective. He was born in Chicago but lived in Montana during the 1970s before committing his famous crimes. He passed away in the summer of 2023 while serving eight life sentences at a supermax prison in Colorado.

Just in case these true tales about serial killers in Montana didn't creep you out enough, here are some of Montana's spookiest unsolved mysteries.

Crime in Montana may not be all that common, but it's best to be prepared when you're heading out. If you're looking for self-protection, consider getting some mace spray.