Adolph Theodore Laundenberg

Serial Killer

Adolph Theodore Laudenberg: The Santa Strangler

Background

Adolph Theodore Laudenberg was an American serial killer and sexual predator whose crimes remained unsolved for nearly three decades. Born on June 13, 1926, in Lexington, Kentucky, he later settled in California and worked at several occupations, including as a security guard and a taxicab driver. His knowledge of the streets around San Pedro, a harbor community in Los Angeles, gave him opportunities to encounter vulnerable women and move through the area without attracting immediate suspicion. Laudenberg became known as the "Santa Strangler" or "Santa Claus Strangler" because the earliest murder conclusively connected to him occurred during the Christmas holiday in 1972. Investigators ultimately associated him with four similar killings committed in San Pedro and San Francisco between December 1972 and March 1975. He was also investigated as a possible suspect in two additional San Francisco murders, although those cases were never conclusively tied to him.

Pattern of the Crimes

The women associated with Laudenberg were generally middle-aged or elderly and were often living with personal difficulties, poor health, alcohol dependency, loneliness, or financial hardship. Several were last seen in or near neighborhood bars. Laudenberg, who had worked as a cab driver, was familiar with drinking establishments and with people who depended on taxis or strangers for transportation late at night. The known attacks followed a disturbing pattern. The victims were sexually assaulted and strangled, and several were found partially or completely unclothed. Some were killed in their homes or hotel rooms, while others were abandoned outdoors. The similarities in victim selection, sexual violence, and method of death caused detectives to believe that the murders were connected. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Lois Petrie Age: (43), Date of Death: 1972-12-25

Suspected Victims:

Irene Hind Age: (55), Date of Death: 1974-03-12

Maude Burgess Age: (83), Date of Death: 1974-11-1

Adolph Laudenberg - Wikipedia