Black Widow Killers

Black Widow Killers The Baby Butcher strikes again! This could have been the heading of the local paper in the late 1800s, when a small child was found floating down the river in a small town in Great Britain. Amelia Dyer was known as “The Baby Butcher” during the nineteenth century because of her brutal killings of infants and young children. When asked why she committed these sadistic murders she, replied with “I was sending them to God” (Rattle, Vale, & Rennell, 2007). Historically serial killers have been around for centuries. Although most of these have been men, females account for the most sadistic killings. Why does society find it more likely that a man can kill then a woman? When naming a male serial killer such as Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, or Jack the Ripper, most people probably can name at least one victim. On the other hand mention the name Elizabeth Bathory who murdered more then 300 young women, then bathed in their blood with the belief that her beauty would be restored. Maria Jager murdered a large number of children and adults for profit and thrills while held prisoner in Hungry. In 1912, Louise Lindoff poisoned her entire family for insurance money. Other victims of female serial killers ranged from small children to grown adults for a number of various reasons. Females could commit murder the same as men. Money, power, lust, revenge, pleasure, or even what they believe is higher powers are among the reasons females decide to kill. According to Peter Vronsky, the author of Serial Killers: The method and madness of monsters, “When women commit violence the only explanation offered has been that it is involuntary, defensive, or the female physiology. Postpartum depression, premenstrual syndrome, and menopause have been included among the named culprits (2007). Being an outsider or rejected by society as a child could also play a huge role concerning serial killers. A majority of serial killers both male and female suffer

References: Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2005). Serial Killer Symposium. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder Morton, R. J., & Hills, M. A. (2005, August). Serial Murders Multi-Disinplanary Perspectives for Investigators. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder Vronsky, P. (2007). Female Serial Killers How and why women become monsters. New York, NY: The Berkley Publishing Group. Rattle, A., Vale, A., & Rennell, T. (2007). Amelia Dyer, Angel Maker.