Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer

Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer

March 10, 2026 · 43 min · Season 5 · Episode 19

About this episode

Candice DeLong examines the case of Mary Ann Cotton, Britain's first female serial killer who used arsenic to murder her family for financial gain.

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong examines the disturbing case of Mary Ann Cotton, the Victorian-era poisoner who used arsenic to systematically eliminate husbands, stepchildren, and even her own children across nearly two decades in Northeast England. Behind the facade of a grieving widow was a calculating killer who collected insurance payouts and cleared the path to her next financial and romantic opportunity with each death. Candice digs into what drove Mary Ann to view her own families as disposable and how her modus operandi and the time period allowed her to stay under the radar for so long -- killing at least 21 people in the process. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Host: Candice DeLong

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FBI

Places: Northeast England

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