MAN CALLED THE MOST PROLIFIC SERIAL KILLER IN U.S. HISTORY DIES

The man authorities say was the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history with nearly 60 confirmed victims, died Wednesday in California, officials said. He was 80

Samuel Little, who had diabetes, heart trouble and other ailments, died at a California hospital. He was serving a life sentence for multiple counts of murder.

California corrections department spokeswoman Vicky Waters said there was no sign of foul play, and his cause of death will be determined by a coroner.

A career criminal who had been in and out jail for decades — including 19 months for assault in San

Diego in the 1980s — Little denied for years he’d ever killed anyone.

Then, in 2018, he opened up to Texas Ranger James Holland, who had been asked to question him about a killing it turned out Little didn’t commit. During approximately 700 hours of interviews, however, Little provided details of scores of slayings only the killer would know.

A skilled artist, he even provided Holland with dozens of paintings and drawings of his victims, sometimes scribbling their names when he could remember them, as well as details such as the year and location of the murder and where he’d dumped the body.

By the time of his death,

Little had confessed to killing 93 people between 1970 and 2005. Most of the slayings took place in Florida and Southern California.

Authorities, who continue to investigate his claims, said they have confirmed nearly 60 killings and have no reason to doubt the others.

“Nothing he’s ever said has been proven to be wrong or false,” Holland told the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” in 2019.

The numbers dwarf those of Green River killer Gary Ridgeway (49), John Gacy (33) and Ted Bundy (36).

Holland has described Little as both a genius and a sociopath, adding the killer could never adequately explain to him why he did what he did.