Terry Peder Rasmussen

Terry Peder Rasmussen, also known as "The Chameleon Killer" due to his many aliases, was an infamous American serial killer, born on December 23, 1943, in Denver, Colorado. Growing up in Arizona, he attended North High School in Phoenix until dropping out during his sophomore year in 1960. After a stint in the Navy, he had a family and later became infamous for a series of heinous crimes.

Between 1978 and 2002, Rasmussen carried out a series of murders that spanned across the contiguous United States. He is the prime suspect in the unsolved Bear Brook murders, which allegedly took place in New Hampshire between 1978 and 1980. In these crimes, the bodies of his girlfriend, her two daughters, and his own daughter were discovered in two barrels. In 1981, another girlfriend disappeared under suspicious circumstances while they lived together. Rasmussen later fled to California with her daughter, whom he abandoned after several years of abuse.

Following a conviction for child abandonment, Rasmussen began living with chemist Eunsoon Jun in 2001. He was later sentenced for Jun's murder and died in prison in 2010. Despite the gruesome discoveries during his lifetime, Rasmussen was not conclusively linked to the Bear Brook murders until 2017, when DNA profiling connected him to the crimes.

Earlier in his life, Rasmussen married in 1969, had four children, and lived with his family in Phoenix and Redwood City, California. His abusive nature towards his family led to his wife leaving him in 1975. Rasmussen lived in several states, typically working as an electrician, and was known to be in the company of women and children. His notorious life of crime that followed is remembered for its brutality and the mysteries that persist.

For more information about his life and crimes, refer to Terry Peder Rasmussen's biography page.