Here's a surprising look at the average serial killer

When people think "serial killer," a face like Ted Bundy comes to mind — a relatively young, white male who's charming and intelligent.

But according to the Serial Killer Information Center, started by Dr. Mike Aamodt, a professor of psychology at Radford University, that isn't entirely true.

His database has identified over 2,600 serial killers, which Aamodt defined as somebody who killed at least two people, in two separate instances, with a "cooling off" period in between.

Mass killers, however, typically kill a large number of people (usually four or more) in a single incident. Aamodt's definition differs slightly from the FBI's, which doesn't require a cooling off between killings.

Surprisingly, only 12.5% of US serial killers in Aamodt's database fit what most consider the typical profile — a white male in his late mid- to late-20s. While 92.3% of US serial killers (94.4% internationally) are male, only 52.1% are white. Only 27% are in their mid- to late-20s.

From 1990 to 2010, the most recent year of data in the project, 52.1% of US serials killers were white, while 40.3% were black. The numbers don't change much internationally either. Worldwide, 56.2% are white, while 30% are black.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/a-surprising-look-at-the-average-serial-killer-2015-5