10 Careless Mistakes That Got Serial Killers Caught
4. Joel Rifkin Drove Without Plates
Once again, we have a case of a serial killer hitting the end of the line all thanks to a traffic stop.
Joel Rifkin killed nearly 20 women throughout the 1990s in New York. Targeting prostitutes, Rifkin would strangle his victims before dismembering them and scattering their remains across various dumpsites — leaving police unable to identify the killer nor many of the victims.
Rifkin was able to dispose of 16 victims without drawing attention to himself. He wasn't so lucky with his 17th.
After strangling the woman, he brought her back to his mother's garage where her body sat for three days. When we went to move the body, police noticed that license plates were missing from his truck. A horrid odor emanating from the rear of the truck drew suspicion and Rifkin was immediately placed in custody when police found the body.