Man confesses to killing 90 women in 45 years

The hand-drawn, carefully-coloured women’s faces could have been the work of a talented child.

But behind each of the 16 innocent-looking images is a chilling story.

The hand that sketched them, according to police, is the same hand that violently strangled each one of them to death, before dumping their bodies and moving on to his next victim.

Samuel Little drew their faces from memory after confessing to murdering 90 women during an astonishing 45-year secret killing spree.

And despite most of the murders occurring decades ago, the killer - who police say has a photographic memory - was able to recall the minutest detail of each one, claiming he gets sexual pleasure from reliving them.

From the road signs he saw as he snatched women from the streets to the colour of their eyes and hair, the clothes they were wearing, and their last agonising words.

Recounting how she choked one female victim to death, Little was able to remember details right down to the feel of her dirty blonde hair and how she stared lifelessly into the stars as he squeezed her neck, police said.

He even remembered how one victim, breathing her last, begged: "I'm too young to die."

The 78-year-old's stunning confessions could make him the most prolific serial killer in US history.

Before now, the deadliest known US serial killer was believed to be Gary Ridgway, the so-called 'Green River Killer' convicted of 49 murders who is serving a life sentence in Washington state.

His grim tally would far surpass that of infamous killer Ted Bundy, who confessed to 30 murders.

And they came as a surprise to police as many of his the women he claimed to have murdered were prostitutes, drug addicts or homeless who were never reported as missing, or whose deaths were not recorded as homicides.