Bobby Joe Long: The Classified Ad Rapist

Bobby Joe Long terrorized the Tampa Bay area of Florida in 1984, murdering at least ten women over eight months. He had initially committed dozens of rapes across Florida by scanning classified ads for women selling household items while home alone, earning him the nickname the "Classified Ad Rapist." His crimes then escalated to kidnapping and murder, targeting women he encountered while driving. Long typically drove his victims to isolated locations, raped and strangled them, and left their bodies in wooded areas or along roadsides. The Tampa Police Department formed a special task force but struggled to identify a consistent pattern linking the crimes. The community lived in fear throughout the summer and fall of 1984 as the body count rose. Long's arrest came about through an unusual act of mercy. In November 1984 he abducted a 17-year-old named Lisa McVey, held her captive for 26 hours, but then released her rather than killing her. McVey had memorized details about her captor, his apartment, and his car throughout her ordeal, and her descriptions led police directly to Long within days. Long was convicted of eight murders and sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal injection in Florida on May 23, 2019. His case contributed to improved investigative techniques for linking serial crimes across jurisdictions and prompted discussions about how to improve information sharing between local law enforcement agencies.