Publication Date: February 3, 2026
From TikTok to YouTube, OnlyFans to Instagram, sink into nine bone-chilling stories of influencers who resorted to murder… or tried to.
Thousands of followers. Rapt audiences. Splashy photos and videos that rack up millions of views, crowning the popular few who beat the algorithm “online influencers.” But what happens when the next reel on the slideshow of someone’s life… is death?
Accidental or premeditated? In some cases, only you can decide. This book features nine fascinating cases, including:
- Yuka Takaoka, Japanese bar hostess who stabbed her flirty host boyfriend
- Nasim Aghdam, YouTube headquarters shooter
- Snow the Salt Queen, cosplay shooter who maintains their innocence
- David Katz, sports video game tournament shooter
- Samantha Wohlford, mommy vlogger who tripped over her own lies in the interrogation room
- Randy Stair, supermarket shooter who produced—and dated—cartoons
- Trey Sesler, “Mr. Anime,” who murdered his family
- Pekka-Eric Auvinen, admirer of violence who carried out one of Finland’s few school shootings
- Abigail White, OnlyFans talent who bullied and killed her husband
Influencers Who Kill will look behind the internet handles and the painted masks and dive into the minds and motives of serial killers and would-be murderers who bloodied their hands with the spotlight trained on them.
Today’s easy access to social media enables people around the world to have a voice. It has also led to the rise of influencers, those who have amassed followings on specific platforms.
Author Madison Salters introduces nine scenarios in Influencers Who Kill. The author uses thousands of pages of research materials to delve into the violent crimes committed by the influencers.
Samantha Nicole Wohlford, a “Mommy Blogger,” serves as one of the more disturbing examples. She managed to end her husband’s life through an alleged break-in, with her content depicting an attention-hungry liar with a mean streak.
The influencers span the globe, and many of their stories pinpoint concerning behaviors that serve as red flags. The author presents the content without judgment, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.
Influencers Who Kill compiles a selection of real stories that highlight the dangers of online fame and its fatal consequences.
Madison Jayne Salters is a journalist, writer, editor, and translator who has lived all over the globe, only to settle back at her starting line: New York City. She works in publishing as a content leader for works in translation from Japanese for the US and European markets. She loves a good investigative deep dive, drinking too much coffee, her two little epileptic sausage dogs, and her partner—not necessarily in that order. Highly awarded for her work, she was once even named “Top 30 Under 30” by Westchester Magazine, which her family found hilarious. This is her third book.
