Crime TV: This Is Illinois’ Most Googled True Crime Story

In today's world, there are literally thousands and thousands of viewing options for anyone with some time to kill and a remote in their hand.

One particular genre that has exploded over the last few years is true crime stories, making it the most watched form of documentary on TV, and one of the most-searched categories online. If you want people to tune in to your show in droves, make sure your show is about serial killers.

Here Are Just A Few Of The Serial Killers That Have Been Featured On True Crime-Type Shows

The Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez

The infamous Ted Bundy

And, of course, there's Jeffery Dahmer.

A New Study Takes A Look At The Most Googled True Crime Stories In Each State, And Illinois' Most Searched Is Not One Of The Photos Above

EdwardsKirby.com did some digging to see what awful people and terrible events that we, the viewing public, really needed to do some following up on, state by state. Here's what they looked for:

Using a list of true crime stories from popular websites or that have been featured on shows and podcasts, we gathered the top-searched true crime cases in all 50 states, including DC. Our study is based on the topic within Google’s search data to get a stronger sense of the search volume. Overall, we used 63 true crime cases to conduct our research. The data reflects search volume between November of 2020 and 2021.

Here in Illinois, we apparently still have a big interest in learning more about one particular stunningly horrible guy, because John Wayne Gacy is searched for more in Illinois than anyone or anything else when it comes to horrific crimes:

As for the rest of the Midwest, here's who (or what) our neighbors are looking into.

• Wisconsin: Ed Gein
• Iowa: Who Put Bella In Wych Elm
• Michigan: O.J. Simpson
• Minnesota: Dennis Nilson
• Missouri: Ken McElroy
• Indiana: Murder of Sylvia Likens
• Kentucky: The Death of JonBenet Ramsey