<P> He worked on many cases of serial homicide such as Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Richard Chase and John Joubert . </P> <P> Ressler retired from the FBI in 1990 and authored a number of books about serial murder . He actively gave lectures to students and police forces on the subject of criminology and in 1993, was brought in to London to assist in the investigation into the murders committed by Colin Ireland . In 1995, Ressler met South African profiler Micki Pistorius at a conference in Scotland and she invited him to review her investigation of the "ABC Murders", so - called because of their location in the Johannesburg suburbs of Atteridgeville, Boksburg, and Cleveland . A man named David Selepe had died in police custody while being investigated as a suspect for the Cleveland murders, prior to the discovery of the Atteridgeville and Boksburg crimes, and the authorities feared that they had killed an innocent man while the real culprit was still at large . Ressler believed that Selepe was indeed responsible for the Cleveland murders, either alone or with an accomplice, and that the Atteridgeville and Boksburg murders had been committed by the same offender, but that this killer was not involved in the Cleveland murders . He also pointed out that the Atteridgeville - Boksburg murderer was gaining confidence with each killing and would contact the media . As predicted, serial killer Moses Sithole called the South African newspaper The Star to claim responsibility for the Atteridgeville and Boksburg murders, some time after Ressler left the case . </P> <P> Ressler's visit to Ciudad Juárez in Mexico to investigate the still - active femicides occurring there served as inspiration for the character Albert Kessler in Roberto Bolaño's novel 2666 . </P> <P> Ressler died at his home in Spotsylvania County, Virginia on Sunday May 5, 2013, from Parkinson's Disease . He was 76 years old . He is survived by his wife Helen Graszer Ressler, his son Lt. Col. Aaron R. Ressler, daughters Allison R. Tsiumus and Betsy S. Hamlin, 3 grandchildren and 3 step grandchildren . </P>

When did the term serial killer come about