Mother, 30, who disappeared from a Tennessee nightclub in 1981 is identified as latest victim of Samuel Little, America's most prolific serial killer

A mother who disappeared from a Tennessee nightclub in 1981 has been identified as the latest victim of Samuel Little, the most prolific serial killer in US history. 

Patricia Parker, who was 30-years-old at the time of her death, was identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Friday. 

Last year, the FBI declared Little, now 80-years-old, the most prolific serial killer in the country. Little confessed to 93 murders - mostly of women - across the US between 1970 and 2005.

Parker's body was found on September 28, 1981 in Dade County, Georgia, but her identity and killer had remained a mystery for nearly 40 years, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. 

Special Agent in Charge Joe Montgomery said: 'Since 1981, the GBI maintained an open investigation into these remains; however, over the years the case grew cold.' 

Little is said to have confessed to killing a woman in Chattanooga and detectives began investigating his claims which led them to Parker. 

A mother who disappeared from a Tennessee nightclub in 1981 has been identified as the latest victim of Samuel Little, right, the most prolific serial killer in US history. Patricia Parker, left, who was 30-years-old at the time of her death, was identified Friday

After a press conference asking for the public's help the GBI said 'a family came forward stating they believed the woman was their family member'

After no cold cases matched Little's account in Chattanooga investigators looked to the GBI's regional office in Calhoun which led to the remains found in Dade County. 

Montgomery added: 'Little provided investigators with more details that led them to believe the remains found in Dade County were the woman Little had taken in Chattanooga and killed in Georgia.'

After a press conference asking for the public's help the GBI said 'a family came forward stating they believed the woman was their family member'. 

They added: 'DNA was obtained from family members and samples were sent to the GBI Crime Lab for comparison leading to the positive ID.' 

Serial killer Samuel Little is seen in a composite timeline of various booking photos from 1966-1995. Little, who is currently serving a life sentence, has confessed to 93 murders in 19 states over 35 years. The FBI has verified at least 50 of these cases so far, making Little the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history

The killer was not only willing to confess his crimes but had a vivid memory of what his victims looked like and sufficient artistic ability to reproduce their faces. A Texas ranger who interviewed Little noticed he liked to draw and gave him art supplies behind bars.

Pearl Nelson, left, holds a photo of her late mother Audrey Nelson, a victim of serial killer Samuel Little, with Mary Louise Frias, goddaughter of another victim, Guadalupe Apodaca Zambrano, during a news conference at Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday, Sept . 25, 2014

Last year, the FBI released several of Little's chilling videotaped confessions. 

Christie Palazzolo, an FBI crime analyst, said last year: 'For many years, Samuel Little believed he would not be caught because he thought no one was accounting for his victims.

'Even though he is already in prison, the FBI believes it is important to seek justice for each victim — to close every case possible.'  

Authorities began unraveling his serial killing spree after he was arrested at a homeless shelter in Kentucky in 2012 and extradited to California to face drug charges.

The killer was not only willing to confess his crimes but had a vivid memory of what his victims looked like and sufficient artistic ability to reproduce their faces. A Texas ranger who interviewed Little noticed he liked to draw and gave him art supplies behind bars. 

Samuel Little leaves the Ector County Courthouse in Odessa, Texas Thursday, December 13, 2018 after pleading guilty to killing Denise Christie Brothers in 1994 and receiving another life sentence. Little has admitted to killing more than 90 people

Little went on to produce more than 30 color portraits, which the FBI hoped will help law enforcement match Little’s confessions to victims who, in many cases, have yet to be identified. 

When he was in custody, authorities found DNA evidence that linked Little to three cold case murders in Los Angeles between 1987 and 1989.

The three women had all been beaten and strangled with their bodies dumped in an alley, a dumpster and a garage.  

Police around the country have confirmed about 50 of his confessions so far and consider the rest credible.

As Little detailed his crimes, he showed no remorse, talked candidly, almost proudly, and seemed to be enjoying himself, detectives said. 

Little, a 6ft 3in former boxer, was sentenced in 2014 to life in prison for the three murders.

A defiant convicted serial killer Samuel Little, 74, raises his arm in the air as he is led out of the courtroom as victims and family of victims applauded at the conclusion of the hearing today September 25, 2015 after he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the killings of three women in the Los Angeles area in the 1980s

The FBI had been working on a full background check of Little and found links to other murders that he may have committed.  

Little grew up in Ohio, dropped out of high school and lived a 'nomadic life,' shoplifting or stealing to buy alcohol and drugs.

He was accused of murdering women in Mississippi and Florida in the early 1980s but was not convicted.           

The FBI said the deaths of many of the victims Little confessed to killing were originally ruled overdoses or were attributed to accidental or undetermined causes. 

Some of the bodies Little said he dumped have never been found. 

'For many years, Samuel Little believed he would not be caught because he thought no one was accounting for his victims,' said FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program crime analyst Palazzolo.