Amelia Dyer, Baby Farmer

Amelia Dyer, Baby Farmer

Baby farming is the historical practice of accepting custody of an infant or child in exchange for payment in late-Victorian Era Britain and, less commonly, in Australia and the United States. Amelia Dyer participated in baby farming, but instead of taking care of the infants, she murdered them. Dyer was a Victorian nurse who would put out ads for women who did not want their babies. She used many aliases to convince these women that she was going to take care of the babies or find them a new home. Dyer killed as many as four hundred infants and threw their bodies into the river. Dyer was caught 30 years after she started killing infants and was arrested on April 4th, 1896. She was executed by hanging. Although she was not the only person to participate in baby farming, she was the most infamous because of her age.

Unknown

The Woman Who Murdered Babies for Money: The Story of Amelia Dyer

Rattle, Alison; Vale, Allison

1869

Rattle, Alison; Vale, Allison

Book

Illustration