Breaking the Stereotype of Gendered Violence
When we think of serial killers, the image that typically forms is of a cold, calculating man—someone like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer. But history tells a more complex story. Contrary to common belief, female serial killers are not only real, but some have been among the most prolific and psychologically disturbing murderers ever documented.
While their methods often differ from their male counterparts—typically using poison, suffocation, or starvation rather than overt violence—the psychology of control, manipulation, and detachment remains strikingly similar. In this chapter, we explore some of the most infamous women serial killers in history and unpack the deadly minds behind their crimes.
Mary Ann Cotton – The Black Widow of England
Country: United Kingdom
Active Years: 1852–1872
Confirmed Victims: At least 21 (some estimates up to 30+)
Method: Arsenic poisoning
Motive: Financial gain via life insurance and pensions
Final Fate: Hanged in 1873
Psychological Profile
Mary Ann Cotton represents the archetype of a manipulative and emotionally detached female killer. Her crimes were methodical and profit-driven, showing no sign of emotional conflict. Traits observed include:
Calm demeanor in the face of death
Lack of remorse or emotional connection to victims
Calculated, instrumental violence
Skilled use of charm and deception
She likely suffered from antisocial personality disorder, evidenced by:
Persistent lying and manipulation
Exploitation of societal structures (life insurance)
Emotional detachment, even from her own children
Childhood and Early Life
Born in 1832 in County Durham, Mary Ann experienced early trauma with the death of her father in a mining accident. The resulting emotional instability and poverty may have planted the seeds for her later behavior. Despite appearing quiet and well-behaved in youth, she began a deadly pattern of marrying, bearing children, and watching them die of suspicious gastric illnesses.
Modus Operandi
Her weapon was arsenic—a slow killer that mimicked natural diseases like typhoid. She:
Moved frequently to avoid detection
Took out life insurance on family members
Nursed victims while poisoning them
Exploited the medical ignorance of the time
Motive and Pattern
Her killings were cold and calculated, driven by greed. Victims included husbands, lovers, children, and even her mother—anyone who could be insured or inherited from.
She displayed psychopathic resilience, moving on quickly after each death, often without mourning.
Legacy and Psychological Insight
Mary Ann Cotton's case is significant because it:
Defied gendered expectations of violent crime
Exposed cracks in 19th-century medical and legal systems
Set a precedent for understanding female "Black Widow" killers—those who kill for gain, not gratification
Elizabeth Báthory – The Blood Countess
Country: Hungary
Active Years: Circa 1590–1610
Confirmed Victims: At least 80 (rumors up to 650)
Method: Torture, mutilation, murder
Motive: Sadistic pleasure and obsession with youth
Final Fate: Never tried; imprisoned in her castle until death in 1614
Psychological Profile
Elizabeth Báthory's case stands out as a rare example of sadistic female psychopathy. She exhibited:
Detachment from reality
Complete lack of empathy
Need for power and control over the powerless
Organized, ritualistic methods of torture
Some accounts suggest delusional psychosis, especially in her belief that bathing in virgin blood preserved her youth.
Background and Early Life
Born into one of the most powerful families in Transylvania, Elizabeth had status, education, and influence. Rumored to have witnessed violence at an early age, she married Count Ferenc Nádasdy at 15. While he was at war, she began experimenting with punishment and cruelty, initially on servants.
The Blood Legend
Although debated, the legend of her bathing in blood reflects the disturbing intersection of:
Obsession with beauty and aging
Folkloric exaggeration rooted in real brutality
Misogyny and class fear in historical recordkeeping
She lured girls with promises of work, then:
Tortured with needles, branding irons
Starved and froze victims
Bit and mutilated their flesh
Some were sewn into dead animals or left to rot alive
Victim Profile and Capture
Her victims were mostly young servant girls, but when she began targeting nobility, the crown intervened. A royal investigation gathered hundreds of eyewitness accounts and confessions.
Though never tried in court, Elizabeth was sealed in a chamber in her own castle. She died four years later.
Legacy and Psychological Insight
Elizabeth Báthory is one of the most mythologized female killers—part legend, part reality. She reflects:
The psychological dangers of unchecked power
Female violence masked by aristocratic privilege
Early examples of sadistic female serial murderers, whose cruelty rivals that of the worst male killers
Amelia Dyer – The Angel Maker
Country: United Kingdom
Active Years: 1860s–1896
Confirmed Victims: 200+ infants
Method: Strangulation, neglect, starvation
Motive: Profit through baby farming
Final Fate: Hanged in 1896
Psychological Profile
Amelia Dyer was a highly organized, profit-driven killer with chilling disregard for life. Traits include:
Manipulation and fraud
Systematic cruelty toward helpless victims
Absence of guilt or remorse
Likely suffered from borderline or antisocial personality traits
Her victims—newborn babies—were viewed not as lives, but as business transactions.
The Baby Farming Era
In Victorian England, "baby farming" was a common (and legal) practice where women took in illegitimate children for a fee. Dyer turned this into mass murder by:
Advertising to adopt babies
Accepting payments from desperate mothers
Killing the infants almost immediately
Modus Operandi
Her methods evolved over time:
Early: sedated babies with laudanum, leading to death by starvation
Later: manual strangulation with white tape, her signature
Bodies were dumped in rivers, wrapped in cloth or carpet
She moved towns and changed aliases frequently to avoid detection.
Motive and Pattern
Dyer's motive was pure greed. She maintained a respectable appearance while murdering hundreds. Most victims were days or weeks old—some killed within hours.
Capture and Trial
A baby's body found in the River Thames led to her arrest. Authorities discovered mountains of evidence, but no living children. Her trial lasted only minutes. She was executed in 1896, showing no remorse.
Legacy and Psychological Insight
Amelia Dyer's case reveals:
How poverty, desperation, and social failure can be exploited by predators
That female killers, even in caregiving roles, can be capable of immense cruelty
That societal assumptions about women's nurturing nature can blind investigators to evil hiding in plain sight
Her case led to stricter child protection laws in the UK and remains one of the deadliest in recorded history.
Conclusion: Women Can Kill—And Do
Female serial killers may not receive the same media attention as male murderers, but their psychological complexity and brutality are equally haunting. Whether driven by greed, sadism, power, or delusion, these women challenge the assumption that violence is inherently masculine.
Their stories are a reminder of the psychological spectrum of evil—one that is not bound by gender but defined by pathology, trauma, and human darkness.