Vlado Taneski was born in 1952 in Kičevo, then part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He was the second of three children in a conservative household and had a particularly strained relationship with his mother, who worked as a cleaner. Taneski studied journalism in Croatia and developed an interest in poetry and writing. At 21, he married Vesna, a law student, with whom he had two children. 

His journalism career spanned over two decades, during which he worked for Skopje-based newspapers such as Nova Makedonija and Utrinski Vesnik. In 2002, his father died by suicide, and shortly after, his mother died from an accidental overdose. In 2003, Taneski faced financial difficulties after being laid off, and in 2004, his wife moved to Skopje following a promotion.

Between 2005 and 2008, Taneski targeted elderly women in Kičevo who were poor, uneducated cleaners—similar to his mother's background. The victims were abducted, raped, tortured, and strangled with telephone cords. Their bodies were wrapped in plastic bags and discarded around Kičevo. The known victims are:​

1. Mitra Simjanoska (64): Disappeared on November 16, 2004; found on January 12, 2005.
2. Ljubica Licoska (56): Disappeared in early November 2007; found on February 3, 2008.​
3. Zivana Temelkoska (65): Disappeared on May 7, 2008; found on May 16, 2008.

Taneski reported extensively on these murders, and his articles contained details not released to the public, such as the use of a telephone cord to bind the victims. This aroused police suspicion, leading to his arrest on June 20, 2008, after DNA evidence linked him to the crimes. ​

Following his arrest, a search of Taneski's property uncovered pornographic materials, ropes matching those used on the victims, and items belonging to them. While awaiting trial, Taneski was found dead in his prison cell on June 23, 2008, having drowned in a bucket of water in an apparent suicide.