CRIME: Britain's First Female Serial Killer: Mary Ann Cotton

About this episode

Long before the name Jack the Ripper struck fear into Victorian England, a respectable-looking widow named Mary Ann Cotton was quietly killing her way through the north of the country. By the time investigators caught up with her in 1872, she had outlived four husbands, a lover, and eleven of her own children, nearly all of them poisoned with arsenic and many insured for cash. Hiding in plain sight behind the mask of a grieving mother and wife, she is now considered Britain's first known serial killer, and one of its most overlooked. In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, Vanessa Richardson uncovers the chilling story of Mary Ann Cotton, the string of deaths that followed her from town to town, and how a woman managed to murder on such a staggering scale for so long before anyone noticed. Head over to our YouTube channel to WATCH our video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudios If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes to never miss a case! To hear episodes ad-free and released a day early, subscribe to Crime House+. Join at crimehouseplus.com or if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, tap “Try Free” at the t