While working on her master’s thesis in criminal forensic studies at Florida Gulf Coast University in 2011, Kristin Elink-Schuurman-Laura focused on serial killers with military backgrounds.

But, only a handful of studies popped up using solid numbers instead of individual case studies.

That changed when she connected a professor from Radford University in Virginia.

With a simple Excel spreadsheet from the professor, Kristin Elink-Schuurman-Laura helped create what would become the Radford/FGCU Serial Killer Database Research Project – a comprehensive listing of almost 3,300 serial killers. 

The project is a tool for academic researchers and law enforcement. 

Elink-Schuurman-Laura is now working on her doctorate degree in Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.  She told WGCU’s Topher Forhecz why researching serial killers can be difficult.