The Belleville News-Democrat had every reason to take a special interest in the cases connection to suspected serial killer Larry Hall: In 2017, several Illinois-area cold cases were reopened as authorities continued to investigate Larry Hall’s claims. The murders in question were that of Eulalia Pholia Chavez and Paulette Webster, but they also noted that he was a suspect in other murders, including Tammy Zywicki, an Illinois native attending college in Iowa, who was discovered in Missouri.

Larry Hall has confessed and recanted to a shockingly long list of murders, and although evidence is scarce, law enforcement estimates that it’s possible he’s behind as many as 40 murders. (For comparison, Samuel Little remains the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history, with 93 victims.) So how, exactly, did this reportedly socially inept man with below-average intelligence manage to kill undetected?

Larry’s twin brother, Gary Hall, explained to CNN that post-high school, the two got into a hobby that seemed to help Larry come out of his shell. They started participating in Civil War reenactments, which Gary said was a perfect fit: “It’s not only that he was dark and mysterious and obnoxious, and very quick to anger — he smelled bad. And with those muttonchops, I think he grew ’em to try to hide the acne.” Zywicki’s death was tied to Larry Hall because she was found near a Civil War battlefield, and it’s also been suggested that a childhood spent as a grave digger made him incredibly adept at burying bodies.