Patricia Ann Mount, a 26-year-old woman from Gainesville, Florida, was tragically murdered in 1982. Her body was discovered naked and bruised in a field along U.S. 27 in northwestern Alachua County on September 12, 1982. The case remained unsolved for decades until serial killer Samuel Little, who has been described as the most prolific serial killer in U.S.
history, confessed to her murder.
Mount was last seen at Mae's Lounge, a bar located at the corner of Northwest Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue in Gainesville. Witnesses reported seeing her dancing with Little before they left together. According to Little's confession, he drove Mount to a pasture in his Ford Pinto station wagon and strangled her. He later admitted that he was drawn to her neck and became excited upon seeing her throat.
Little was initially arrested and charged with Mount's murder based on an eyewitness account that placed him at the scene. However, during his trial in January 1984, jurors deliberated for less than half an hour before acquitting him. The defense argued that the case against him was weak, and the prosecution was unable to secure a conviction. Following his acquittal, Little continued his killing spree across the country, targeting vulnerable women, many of whom were involved in prostitution or struggling with addiction.
Decades later, Little confessed to murdering Mount, along with numerous other victims. He admitted to killing approximately 93 women across the United States, with analysts believing his confessions to be credible. His crimes were eventually uncovered through DNA evidence linking him to multiple murders, leading to his conviction in 2014 for the strangulation of three women in Los Angeles during the 1980s. He was sentenced to life in prison and later provided details on additional murders, including Mount's.
Despite his confession, Little was never retried for Mount's murder due to his previous acquittal. His admission, however, brought closure to a case that had remained unresolved for nearly four decades. Authorities have since recognized him as one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, responsible for a staggering number of deaths across multiple states.
