Long Haul: Hunting The Highway Serial Killers by Frank Figliuzzi, former FBI assistant director | Long-haul trucking, often romanticized as a life of freedom on the open road, may also be a cover for darker activities. According to a new investigative book by former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi, this profession’s inherent solitude and mobility make it an ideal backdrop for serial killers. His book, “Long Haul – Hunting The Highway Serial Killers,” unveils the disturbing ties between several serial killers and the trucking industry.
Figliuzzi’s research indicates that notorious killers like Keith Hunter Jesperson, known as the “Happy Face Killer,” and Wayne Adam Ford utilized their trucking routes to execute and conceal their crimes across multiple states. Jesperson, a Canadian trucker, infamously manipulated his nomadic lifestyle to murder women at various truck stops and rest areas during the 1990s. Ford, on the other hand, surrendered to authorities after killing several women, revealing the gruesome extent of his travels and crimes.
The book also explores how the trucking lifestyle facilitates such crimes. Truckers can pick up victims in one state, commit the crime in another, and dispose of evidence in a third, complicating law enforcement efforts due to jurisdictional challenges. This pattern is not just a tale of isolated incidents but a significant trend, with over 850 murders potentially linked to truckers, as identified by the FBI’s Highway Serial Killings initiative.
Additionally, Figliuzzi delves into the subculture of trucking, accompanying truck drivers for thousands of miles to gain insight into their world. This immersion revealed not only the physical and mental demands of the job but also the potential for isolation to contribute to such criminal behavior. The book provides a poignant look at the victims, often marginalized individuals whose disappearances might go unnoticed.
Through this comprehensive examination, Figliuzzi sheds light on a segment of society where the open road can turn sinister, urging better awareness and stronger safeguards against these highway predators. His work serves as a call to action, emphasizing the need for more cohesive law enforcement strategies to address the disturbing pattern of highway murders linked to the trucking industry.
