Andrei Chikatilo is the worst serial killer in Russian history. He murdered at least 53 young girls and boys starting and 1982, and ending in 1990, when he was captured.

The first victim was Lyubov Biryuk, in June 1982, who was murdered on her way to the market. Her remains were found in October. Her body had stab wounds, many to the breasts, and there were knife wounds in the eye sockets also.

Viktor Burakov and Colonel Fetisov were in charge of the investigation. The Russian methods used were archaic in nature, no new technology was used. If the Russians were to ask for help from the FBI, it would show that they were behind in forensics techniques, which they wouldn't admit. They wouldn't publicize the crimes, either, because it would show there was a problem. The Russians believed serial killers were a decadent western phenomenon.

The second, third, and fourth victims found also had knife wounds in their eye sockets.

Burakov immediately started linking the cases together. The killer started with young girls, but added young boys to his list of victims. Two more bodies were killed the same as the otehrs. The tenth corpse was found on January 4th.

Fetisov and Burakov began to think the killer lured his victims from the train station in town. The stations were then monitored by plain-clothes detectives round the clock, to look for suspicious behavior, and for anyone talking to young boys or girls.

The killer began mutilating the bodies of his victims. He would mutilate the genetils. On girls he would gouge the breasts, and destroy the vagina, uterus and bladder or abdomen. On boys, he would mutilate the penis, scrotum, and anus.

Chikatilo was in the train station trying to pick up children, and the officers picked him up and took him to the police station. They searched his bag, and found Vaseline, dirty towels, rope, and a kitchen knife. His blood was typed, and found to have A blood. The killer was determined to have AB blood, from tests done on semen samples on the victims. Chikatilo was released.

A psychologist, Dr. Bukhanovsky, was hired to help with the case. He did a major profile of the killer, and called him Citizen X. The doctor said X was ot homosexual, possibly had a wife and children. He called the killer a necrosadist, and by mutilating his victims organs, he showed his control.

The officers at the stations began to take down the names of anyone who looked suspicious. One name stood out on the list. That name was Andrei Chikatilo. Burakov remembered questioning him years before, and how he was released because of the blood tests.

Burakov contacted Chikatilo's work, and found out from his boss that Chikatilo was off on the days of the murders. Andrei was searched, and there was a cut on his finger, and his genitals had abrasions on them. Andrei replied he didn't know how it happened. In his bag, was the kitchen knife.

Bukhanovsky read his paper Citizen X to Chikatilo, who confessed it was true, and told where, when, and who he murdered. He got sexual gratification from murdering and could only reach orgasm if he killed his victim.

The discrepancy in blood type still hasn't been found out. Some say they have found a rare blood disorder, where the blood and semen have different types. Others scoff at this idea. Chikatilo was found legally sane, and sentenced to die for the crimes.

Chikatilo admitted to at least 53 murders, and led police to some undiscovered victims. Chikatilo believed that the eyes of the victims kept an image of the killer frozen in them after death, and that is why he gouged his victims' eyes out.

Chikatilo was executed by a gunshot to the head in 1994.

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