True Crime Chronicles: The terrifying reign of Charles Floyd - A serial killer's path of destruction

Between 1942 and 1948, the state of Oklahoma was gripped by fear as Charles Floyd, a notorious serial killer with a chilling fixation on red-haired women, evaded authorities while committing a series of brutal murders.

After six years of terrorizing communities, Floyd was finally apprehended in 1948, bringing an end to one of the most horrifying crime sprees in the state’s history.

Floyd’s gruesome rampage began on July 10, 1942, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a double homicide that shocked the city.

His first victim was a 20-year-old pregnant woman whom Floyd strangled to death before mutilating her body, also claiming the life of her unborn child.

This savage act marked the beginning of a pattern targeting red-haired women, leaving a trail of tragedy across Oklahoma.

Six months later, on January 15, 1943, in the small town of Claremore, Floyd struck again. Georgina Green and her young daughter, both redheads, were bludgeoned to death in their home.

Panta Lou Niles

The killings continued on May 15, 1945, when Floyd claimed the life of Panta Lou Niles, another red-haired woman, in Oklahoma City. Her murder further fueled public panic, as Floyd’s ability to evade capture left authorities baffled and residents on edge.

Floyd’s final known attacks occurred on July 1, 1948, back in Tulsa. He invaded the home of a mother and her two daughters, all redheads, and began a violent assault. A courageous neighbor intervened, forcing Floyd to flee the scene. Undeterred, he broke into the nearby home of Ruth Norton, just two blocks away, and murdered her in cold blood. This escalation proved to be his undoing.

On November 22, 1948, Floyd’s reign of terror came to an abrupt end. Following a tip from the neighbor who thwarted his earlier attack, Tulsa police arrested him.

During interrogation, Floyd confessed to the rape and murder of five red-haired women--along with the unborn child of his first victim--spanning six years of calculated violence.

Investigators soon determined that Floyd suffered from severe mental illness. Rather than facing a traditional prison sentence, he was committed to a mental asylum, where he remained until his death.

His capture provided relief to a state haunted by his actions, but the scars he left on Oklahoma endure as a grim chapter in its history.