What happened to Maury Travis? Details explored ahead of Unknown Serial Killers of America
Maury Travis, a St. Louis serial killer, active in and around Missouri and Illinois from 2000 to 2002, murdered at least 12 women, mostly s*x workers, in a hidden basement torture chamber.
Known as 'The Videotape Killer', he recorded his brutal crimes, which targeted vulnerable women lured to his home. His case gained attention after an anonymous letter was sent with a map to a newspaper, leading to his arrest in June 2002.
Travis’s crimes and subsequent capture are set to be explored in Unknown Serial Killers of America season 1 episode 5, airing June 15, 2025, on Oxygen. After his arrest, Travis faced federal charges but took his own life in jail on June 10, 2002, leaving many questions unanswered. He is deceased, with no trial ever held.
Who was Maury Travis, and what happened to him?
Maury Travis was born on October 25, 1965, in St. Louis, Missouri. According to the Serial Killer Calender website, he was raised in the Carr Square public housing complex with his parents, Sandra and Michael Travis, who divorced in 1978. Neighbors remembered him as a shy, helpful boy who cut grass and taught them how to work with tools.
He attended St. Louis Public Schools until 1975, then moved to a Ferguson ranch house. There are no records of childhood abuse or trauma, in contrast to most serial killers. Travis worked as a hotel waiter in Chesterfield, Missouri, as an adult, and occupied a neat Ferguson house with a girlfriend who was unaware of his atrocities.
In 1989, he was convicted of armed robbery and did his time until paroled in 1994. Between 2000 and 2002, he killed people in his basement, employing bondage devices. Following the mailing of a letter in May 2002, on June 7, 2002, he was apprehended. Travis hung himself in St. Louis County Jail on June 10, 2002, precluding any possibility of a trial.
Investigation of the Maury Travis case
As reported by ABC News, the investigation into Maury Travis’s murders started in 2000 when women’s bodies began appearing in St. Louis and Illinois, but police did not connect them until 2002. An anonymous letter was mailed to St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Bill Smith, including an Expedia.com map marking a victim’s remains in West Alton, Missouri.
The map led to a skeleton, and Illinois State Police contacted Microsoft to trace the IP address, which pointed to Travis’s computer in Ferguson. Authorities placed Travis under surveillance, arresting him on June 7, 2002. A search of his home uncovered a basement with bondage gear, a stun gun, blood spatters, and videotapes of women being tortured and killed.
DNA from two victims matched Travis, and tire tracks from his cars linked to crime scenes. Forensic analysis of the tapes confirmed their authenticity, but victim identification was difficult due to decomposition. Travis’s suicide on June 10, 2002, stopped further questioning, leaving police unable to verify his claim of 17 murders.
Victims of the Maury Travis case
As reported by ABC News, Maury Travis murdered at least 12 women, mostly African American s*x workers, between 2000 and 2002 in St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois. Identified victims include Alysia Greenwade (34), Betty James (46), Teresa Wilson (36), Verona Thompson (36), Yvonne Crues (50), Brenda Beasley (33), and Mary Shields (61).
He lured them to his home with offers of money or drugs, then tortured and strangled them, recording the acts on videotapes labeled as 'Wedding'. Bodies were often dumped along roads or in wooded areas, and many were found as skeletons. The tapes showed Travis mocking victims, forcing one to say, "You are the master."
Community groups later pushed for better support for vulnerable women in St. Louis.
Stay tuned for more news and updates.
