Luis Alfredo Garavito, labeled as Colombia‘s deadliest serial killer and one of the most notorious globally, has died while incarcerated for the vicious acts of abusing, torturing, and murdering no less than 170 boys aged eight to 16, the nation’s prison authority confirmed on Thursday.
Dubbed “The Beast” or “The Monster of Genova” owing to his hometown, Garavito, aged 66, breathed his last in a clinic due to “multiple conditions,” according to the INPEC penitentiary authority’s statement.
He had been incarcerated since 1999, serving time behind bars.
According to investigators, Garavito, under the guise of a travelling salesman, a monk, a disabled or homeless person, and even an aid worker, was able to enter schools to target his victims.
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Once he had led the boys to remote locations, using food and drink as bait, the assaults occurred when they became fatigued from walking.
He had a log of his victims meticulously written in a small notebook.
Triggered by the discovery of 36 murdered children in the town of Pereira, the Colombian police launched the most extensive criminal investigation in the country’s history in October 1998, recognizing the presence of a serial killer.
After a year, authorities proclaimed that they had located the individual responsible for the crimes.
It was reported by prosecutors that Garavito subjected his victims to torture and mutilation before finally slitting their throats.
Upon admitting his guilt, he was sentenced in 2000 to 835 years in prison, significantly surpassing Colombia’s maximum term of 40 years.
A recent diagnosis confirmed that Garavito had been battling cancer in the eye and leukemia.