People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer: Who was Ángel Reséndiz or The Railroad Killer?

The series of brutal crimes committed by The Railroad Killer that had the nation haunted in the 1990s has become the focus of the new People Magazine Investigates episode airing on May 12, 2024. Ángel Reséndiz, the Mexican national who jumped borders and freight trains to find seasonal jobs and his victims, had brought about an extensive manhunt in his name by his unique modus operandi.

Came to be known as The Railroad Killer, Angel Reséndiz became the 457th name on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives on June 21, 1999. While he was charged with nine out of the fifteen murders, Reséndiz confessed to a total of 23 murders to hasten his trial.

The latest episode of People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer titled Surviving the Railroad Killer airs at 9 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery and showcases the horrific crimes committed by Ángel Reséndiz. The official synopsis reads,

“A new romance between two college students derails when a sadist attacks them during a nighttime walk by the railroad tracks; only one of them lives, and she turns out to be the sole survivor of a serial murderer known as the Railroad Killer.”

Who was The Railroad Killer? Details explored

Ángel Maturino Reséndiz was born as Ángel Leoncio Reyes Reséndiz in Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico on August 1, 1959, according to documents from the Justice Department. Reséndiz had illegally entered Florida for the first time in 1976. He continued to drift in and out of the United States illegally with different aliases to continue his criminal activities, and was deported to Mexico multiple times.

According to an Oxygen report, Reséndiz was brought up by his single mother, uncle, and aunt. He attended school till the 7th grade and carried trauma from a s*xual assault incident when he was around 14 years of age, per The Chicago Tribune. The same report stated that his mother shared that he had been gang-r*ped while he was imprisoned in the United States.

The infamous serial killer with at least 23 murders committed often went by the alias of Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. The slew of murders committed by Resendiz took place during his years of activity in the 1990s and spanned across six US states including Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Florida, California, and Kentucky.

As a migrant farm worker, Reséndiz used the railroads to hunt for farm work in the Midwest and the South of the United States by jumping freight trains. He reportedly worked as an orange picker in Florida during the season and harvested tobacco in Kentucky.

What was The Railroad Killer's modus operandi?

Ángel Reséndiz came to be known as The Railroad Killer as he entered the United States illegally, and hopped on empty rail cars and freight trains to operate in the 1990s. Reséndiz had reportedly returned to Mexico 17 times in 20 years, out of which the Immigration and Naturalization Service deported him four times.

According to the Department of Justice, Reséndiz had an extensive criminal record and was convicted of serious felonies on nine different occasions. Reséndiz's modus operandi had him resort to objects he found in the victim's home to bludgeon them to death.

The murder weapons ranged from a .38-caliber gun to a railcar air brake. He resorted to r*pe and sodomy as secondary intents when it came to his female victims.

Reséndiz often lingered at the crime scenes, ate a meal, and kept the leftovers in the kitchen. He also stole valuables and sentimental items such as jewelry and learned about the victims' lives as was apparent from their driver's licenses that he left laid out in the open. The victims were often found covered with a blanket or carefully concealed.

Catch the latest episode of People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer as it airs on ID on Sunday.

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