Most Terrifying Things About America’s First Serial Killer

Selling His Victims for Parts

The only way out for Holmes’ victims was down, and in a body bag (if he even bothered, which he definitely didn’t). When the hotelier completed a murder, he’d place the body in a dummy elevator or drop it down a secret metal chute that led to the basement of the hotel.

Although Holmes had seemingly switched careers, he certainly didn’t abandon his original love of medicine and even worse… dissection. Once the bodies arrived in the basement, Holmes would dissect them. Although, while Holmes definitely enjoyed this grisly task, it was also about more than just enjoying it, it was also about money. This was a money-making operation far sicker than his previous cadaver insurance fraud. Holmes didn’t just score big on room rentals; he sold their bones and organs using his connections with the medical community. Most of his victims were stripped of flesh and sold as skeleton models to medical schools.