Amelia Dyer: the Most Prolific Serial Killer You’ve Never Heard Of

When we think of serial killers we think of psychopaths who kill for pleasure, the kind of people who get a twisted thrill from taking a life. But some of the most terrifying serial killers from history are those who killed purely for profit.

It is believed Amelia Dyer, a Victorian nurse, killed hundreds of babies over 30 years. Why would she do something so heinous? Simple. To turn a quick buck.

Who Was Amelia Dyer?

Amelia Dyer was born in 1837 in the small village of Pyle Marsh near Bristol in the UK. She came from a respectable family, her father was a master shoemaker, and learned to read and write from an early age. This was not to say her youth was unmarred by tragedy.

Her mother was mentally ill (a result of typhus) and would often experience violent fits. Amelia was forced to care for her sick mother until she died in 1848. During this time Amelia also lost two younger sisters to illness.

After her father died in 1849 what was left of Amelia’s family fell apart. She chose to move to Bristol where met her future husband, George Thomas. Not long after meeting George, she began training as a nurse.

It was during her time as a nurse that she fell into contact with an unscrupulous midwife by the name of Ellen Dane. Dane introduced Amelia to the concept of baby farming. Amelia soon abandoned nursing and adopted the much more lucrative position of baby farmer.

A Quick Lesson on Baby Farming

Life in Britain as an unwed mother at that time was startlingly bleak. Single parenthood was highly frowned upon. This made it difficult for single mothers to find honest work and most workhouses wouldn’t take single mothers in due to their perceived “immorality”.