Today, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced the indictment of Samuel Little aka Samuel McDowell (DOB 6/7 /40) for the murders of 2 former Cincinnati residents.

In case B-1902543, Little is charged with one count of murder in the October 11, 1981 death of Annie Lee Stewart aka Anna Stewart (DOB 10/17/48). If convicted, he faces 15 years to life in prison. Ohio did not have the death penalty when Miss Stewart was killed.

Miss Stewart’s body was discovered on October 12, 198 I in a wooded area at the rear of a small apartment complex in Grove City, Ohio. The coroner ruled her death a homicide as a result of manual strangulation. The investigation revealed that Little murdered Miss Stewart in Cincinnati and then drove to Grove City where he disposed of her body.

In Case B-1902957, Little is charged with the murder of a second, unidentified victim named as Jane Doe in the indictment. Assuming Jane Doe’s body was previously discovered, we are working with the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office to examine old autopsy records to find any subjects that may fit the description of Jane Doe as well as the location where we believe her body would have been found. If convicted, Little faces 15 years to life in prison.

Jane Doe’s body may have been found within a 20 minute drive of Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, on a hillside near a billboard (which may have had an advertisement for Kool cigarettes.) Jane Doe is described as: female black, slender, dark skinned, short hair (wearing a wig at time of death) and wearing glasses. Additional information indicates that she lived in Over-the-Rhine with a street entrance to her apartment which opened to a staircase to the second floor where she lived with a heavyset Hispanic woman. Her age could have been anywhere from 15-50 with a possible murder date between 1980-1999.

Anyone with information about this victim is urged to contact Cincinnati Police Department Homicide Detective Kelly Best at 513-352-1970 or Kellyanne.Best@cincinnati-oh.gov or Chief Assistant Prosecutor Mark Piepmeier at 513-946-3078 or mark.piepmeier@hcpros.org or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.

Little is currently serving 3 life sentences in the California State Prison in Lancaster, California for the murder of 3 women there. He is suspected of murder in other jurisdictions besides California and Ohio. Authorities believe he may be responsible for 93 murders in the United States, making him the most prolific serial killer in our history.

On May 23’d, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Mark Piepmeier, Cincinnati Police Homicide Detective Kelly Best, and Texas Ranger James Holland interviewed Little about the Ohio cases at the California State Prison. Prosecutor Deters commented, “This is truly shocking. Little is likely responsible for committing more murders than anyone else in the United States. I’m grateful that we can provide some justice for Miss Stewart and our Jane Doe victim. The English language simply doesn’t contain the words necessary to describe the horrific things that Little did- – he is law enforcement’s worse nightmare.”

Prosecutor Ron O’Brien commented, “Little victimized vulnerable women and strangled his victims to death for pleasure.”