Pedro Alonso Lopez – The Monster of the Andes

In the shadowy world of crime, some stories defy belief.

Pedro Alonso Lopez’s tale is one of them.

Imagine a man so sinister, he earned the chilling moniker “The Monster of the Andes.”

His deeds? Unspeakable. His crimes? Unfathomable.

But who was this enigma, and what drove him to commit such heinous acts?

Prepare to delve into the depths of darkness as we unravel the chilling story of Pedro Alonso Lopez, a name that sends shivers down the spine of anyone who hears it.

Pedro Alonso Lopez “The Monster of the Andes” at a Glance

Areas of Activity	Columbia, Peru, Ecuador
Years Active	1969 – 1980
Estimated Number of Victims	300+
Current Status	Unknown

Who Is Pedro Alonso Lopez?

Pedro Alonso Lopez’s name is notoriously linked with the annals of true crime.

Known as the “Monster of the Andes,” his early life was marred by homelessness, violence, and sexual abuse.

His troubled youth, filled with clashes with the law and incarceration during his early adult years, exemplifies the classic debate of nature versus nurture.

After being released from prison, he embarked on a horrific spree, primarily targeting young girls.

Although born in Colombia, where some of his victims are believed to have originated, most of his crimes occurred in Peru and Ecuador.

Officially, he was charged with 110 murders, to which he pleaded guilty, but he is suspected of committing up to 200 more.

Despite the extensive nature of his crimes, his remarkably short sentence and current status as potentially still at large are widely viewed as a grave injustice.

So who was Pedro Alonso Lopez in the criminal world? Let’s take a closer look at the man and the monster he became.

Early Life

According to  and official reports, Lopez was born on October 8, 1948, in Santa Isabel, Colombia.

His father, Medardo Reyes, a vocal supporter of a right-wing party, was killed before Pedro was born.

Pedro was the seventh of 13 children in his family, which was common in the area.

Despite the challenges of his upbringing, Pedro was known as a polite, well-behaved, and good-natured boy.

He often expressed a desire to become a teacher.

However, Lopez later claimed that he suffered severe abuse at the hands of his mother.

This abuse is believed to have influenced her treatment towards her children, including Pedro.

Some accounts suggest that he was expelled from his home at a young age after being caught inappropriately touching his younger sister.

According to other stories, he left home voluntarily, weary of his difficult family life.

Lopez eventually made his way to Bogota, the capital of Colombia, where he became part of the “gamines,” or homeless street children.

He soon joined a gang and started using basuco, a form of cocaine mixed with various fillers that reduced its cost but increased its risks.

While living on the streets, a stranger offered him a place to stay and a meal.

Instead, the stranger assaulted and raped Pedro and left him on the streets.

It is this early encounter that is often cited as the event that finally broke Pedro Alonso Lopez and sent him on his path of debauchery.

Lopez made it to Bogota, the capital city of Colombia, where he joined the ranks of the “gamines,” the homeless street children.

Pedro eventually joined a gang and smoked basuco – cocaine laced with fillers and other impurities that made it cheaper and easier to attain.

While on the streets, a stranger approached Lopez and offered him a place to stay and a good meal.

The young boy accepted but instead of the promised food and shelter the stranger assaulted him sexually and beat him.

It was this encounter that many say finally made young Pedro crack and set him on his eventual path of debauchery and murder.

School for Orphans and Prison

At around age 10, Pedro was supposedly taken in by a kind elderly American couple who found him on the streets.

They gave him a home and even paid for his schooling at an orphanage, hoping to help him get an education.

However, Pedro claims that he was sexually abused by one of the teachers there and eventually ran away, returning to life on the streets.

As an adult, Lopez speaks of seeking revenge for the suffering he endured as a child and how he sees all people as inherently evil, believing that anyone who offers kindness or goodness always has ulterior motives.

Pedro Lopez had a rough upbringing on the streets and was arrested for theft at the young age of 18-21.

During his time in prison, he was sexually assaulted by two men, leading him to retaliate and kill them with a makeshift weapon.

There are conflicting reports about whether this resulted in an extended sentence or not.

Long List of Murders

After serving his time, Pedro returned to the streets and began targeting young girls as victims.

His modus operandi consisted of targeting young women, often from Indigenous backgrounds and impoverished communities.

He would entice them, molest them, and ultimately murder them, leaving a path of destruction as he traveled through Columbia and its neighboring countries.

Lopez was apprehended by the Ayachucos community in Peru after he tried to abduct a nine-year-old.

The group sought retribution through traditional tribal law, attempting to bury him alive.

A Western missionary convinced tribe members to turn Lopez over to officials.

The sheer scope of his crime spree was never known and charges were light and Pedro was soon free and made his way to Ecuador.

Through the late 1970s, Lopez continued his ruthless killing spree and eventually made his way to Ecuador.

It was during this time that numerous young girls began disappearing without a trace.

Desperate families took matters into their own hands, with one mother even placing ads in newspapers to find her missing daughter.

However, Pedro’s uncontrollable urge to harm innocent victims caught up with him in Ecuador.

In 1980, while attempting to kidnap a 12-year-old girl, he was caught by local merchants and handed over to the police.

Despite being apprehended by the police, Pedro remained silent.

It wasn’t until Pastor Cordova Gudino went undercover as a cellmate and gained Pedro’s trust that any real progress was made in the case.

Through his cunning, Gudino was able to extract a confession from Lopez and gather information about multiple locations where victims were buried.

With this new evidence, an investigation was launched that ultimately resulted in Pedro’s conviction.

After a thorough investigation, police uncovered at least 53 to 57 bodies. Additional suspected graves were also discovered and more discoveries were made and .

Based on his confession and personal statement, Lopez was charged with 110 murders of young women and girls.

However, he claimed that his total number of victims was much higher, with at least 200 more in Peru and Colombia.

On July 31, 1981, the 33-year-old Lopez pleaded guilty to murdering 57 girls and was imprisoned in Ambato.

He was diagnosed as a sociopath during his time there.

Due to Ecuador’s laws at the time, the maximum sentence for Lopez’s crimes was only 16 years.

This caused public outrage, leading to a change in the maximum prison sentence to 25 years.

Unfortunately, this change came too late to keep Pedro behind bars for a longer period.

After serving 14 out of his 16-year sentence in Garcia Moreno prison, Pedro Lopez was released on August 31, 1994 for good behavior.

He was immediately deported to Colombia, where he faced additional murder charges but was deemed unfit for trial due to his declared insanity.

In 1995, he was placed in a psychiatric facility and later declared sane in 1998, leading to his release.

Upon learning that there was no inheritance from his mother, he sold her belongings and disappeared without a trace in December 1999.

The Interpol warrant for Lopez was deactivated in 2005, but he is still considered a fugitive from the law and a person of interest.

While there are suspicions about his involvement in a 2002 murder, there is no concrete evidence to prove a connection.

His current whereabouts remain unknown, though it is believed that he is still alive somewhere.