The Lisbon Ripper is an unidentified serial killer

Serial killer

A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...

 who murdered three women between 1992 and 1993 in Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

, Portugal.

Crimes

The first victim was Maria Valentina, nicknamed "Tina", age 22, who was found on 31 July 1992 in a large cabin in Póvoa de Santo Adrião. She was strangled, ripped, and some of her internal organs were removed.

The second victim, Maria Fernanda, age 24, was found on 27 January 1993 in a large cabin in Entrecampos

Entrecampos

Praça de Entrecampos is a plaza in Lisbon, Portugal. "Entrecampos" means "between the fields" in Portuguese. Entrecampos is located between Campo Grande and Campo Pequeno ....

. She was also ripped, and some internal organs were removed.

The third and last victim was Maria João, age 27, found on 15 March 1993, near the location of the first victim. Like the previous victims, she was ripped, but this time almost all her organs were removed.

All the victims were young brunettes named Maria, allegedly prostitutes

Prostitution

Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...

 and drug addicts, and were ripped with a sharp object that was not a knife.

Investigation

There was little or no evidence found on the crime scene: no blood (except from the victims), hair, footprints, fingerprints, or glove material. The police had some suspects, but no evidence against them.

Other crimes

There were two other alleged prostitutes found dead. There were also four similar murders in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Belgium. There was a lead that the Lisbon Ripper may have been a serial killer active in New Bedford

New Bedford, Massachusetts

New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 in 1988, known as the New Bedford Highway Killer

New Bedford Highway Killer

The New Bedford Highway Killer was an unidentified serial killer authorities believe responsible for the deaths of nine women and the disappearances of two additional women in New Bedford, Massachusetts, between July 1988 and June 1989...

.