The Reading Baby Farmer
Amelia Dyer is one of the most prolific murderers in British history. She operated as a baby farmer and was hanged in 1896 for just one murder, although it is very very probable that she was responsible for many many more deaths. She was known as The Reading Baby Farmer & The Ogress of Reading.
Born in Pyle Marsh, Bristol and was the youngest of five. She had a hard childhood, her mother had a mental illness caused by typhus. Dyer witnessed her raging fits and cared for her until she died in 1848. Dyer first trained as a nurse and a midwife and by the 1860s had become a baby farmer, which was a lucrative trade in Victorian England.
In 1861, aged 24, Dyer moved to Trinity Street, Bristol where she met and married George Thomas (59). Both lied about their age on the marriage certificate. George deducted 11 years & Amelia added 6 years. Many sources then quoted the certificate as her actual age.
Later, had 1 daughter Ellen Thomas and had to stop nursing.
The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 made it so that the fathers of illegitimate children, by law, did not have to pay any child support, which left many women without options. For a fee, baby farmers would adopt any unwanted children. They pretended that they would care for the children, but most were mistreated or killed.
Dyer advertised in newspapers as a respectable married couple looking to adopt. Dyer was known for charging those who looked well off as much as £80. Impoverished single mothers were often only charged £5.
To begin with, Dyer let the children die from starvation. Then, she used Mother’s Helper, an opium-laced syrup, to quieten the children as they suffered. Eventually, she resorted to faster methods of murder which helped her turn more profit.
She evaded the authorities for years until a doctor became concerned over how many children died whilst in her care. She was only charged with neglect and was sentenced to six months of labour.
When Dyer returned to baby farming, she had learnt not to involve any sort of doctor; disposing of the bodies herself. She also began to relocate frequently, using a variety of aliases.
Dyer was eventually apprehended after a body was found in the Thames on the 30th March 1896. The body of the baby girl, found by a bargeman, was later identified as Helena Fry. The carpetbag containing the infants was not adequately weighed down. The Reading police set to work and after doing a microscopic analysis of the wrapping paper that had surrounded the body, they deciphered a faintly written name and address which led to Amelia Dyer.
Thinking Dyer was a flight risk, the police sent a woman enquiring about her services as a decoy. The decoy worked and Dyer opened the door ready to meet her new client but instead met by two policemen. She was arrested and charged with murder. Her son-in-law Arthur Palmer was arrested and charged with accessory. Although he and her daughter were later acquitted when Dyer admitted in a letter that they had no involvement in the crimes. Police raided the house and were overwhelmed by the smell of human remains, despite the fact they could not find any. More bodies of babies were found in the Thames, each with white tape wrapped around their necks. Later, Dyer was quoted as saying “[white tape] was how you could tell it was one of mine.”
Recent letters suggested that there should have been many more babies in Dyer’s house but none were found.
Dyer was tried at the Old Bailey in 1896. Her defence was insanity, but it took the jury less than five minutes to give a guilty verdict. She pled guilty to one murder but using estimates it is likely that she killed between two hundred and four hundred children. Just before 9:00 am on Wednesday 10th June 1896, in Newgate Prison, Dyer was hanged.
Six more bodies had been found and evidence pointed to twelve more murders.
Branded insane on two occasions, although her trial stated that this had been a ploy to avoid suspicion. Both times were said to have coincided with times when her deeds were starting to catch up to her. Being a former asylum nurse she knew how to convincingly behave. Dyer was known for abusing alcohol and opiates, which could have caused her mental instability; Dyer was committed to several mental asylums throughout her life and survived at least one suicide attempt. She drank two bottles of Laudanum but her long term abuse had built up her tolerance.
Unclear on how long her career as a baby farmer lasted, may have been between twenty and thirty years, however, her arrest led to stricter rules on adoption.
Jill The Ripper?
Conspiracy theorist, William Stewart, suggested that Dyer could have been the true identity of Jack the Ripper as they were killing in the same time frame. However, there is no evidence that connects Dyer to the ripper case.
Some theorise that the prostitute killings were actually botched abortions Dyer had attempted on the women.
Professor of molecular & forensic diagnostics, Ian Findlay, built a partial DNA profile from a Ripper letter known as ‘Openshaw Letter’. While the results were inconclusive he believed that the Ripper was a woman.
