David Meirhofer
| David Meirhofer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
David G. Meirhofer June 8, 1949 Manhattan, Montana[1] |
| Died |
September 29, 1974 (aged 25) Gallatin County, Montana |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 4 |
Span of killings | 1967–1974 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Montana |
Date apprehended | 1974 |
David G. Meirhofer (June 8, 1949 – September 29, 1974)[2] was an American serial killer who committed four murders in rural Montana between 1967 and 1974 — three of them children. At the time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was developing a new method of tracking killers called offender profiling, and Meirhofer was the first serial killer to be investigated using the technique. Offender profiling is a method used to learn clues about the characteristics of an unknown killer from evidence at the scene of the crime and establish their behavioural patterns before they reach the height of their criminality.[3]
Crimes
Among Meirhofer's victims was seven-year-old Susan Jaeger, who was taken from her tent at night during a family camping trip. He left no ransom request[4] and no physical evidence.[5] However, the offender profiling technique, which was first used in this case, was employed about a year after the kidnapping. The technique led investigators to suspect that the kidnapper was a young, white male who killed for sexual gratification and may have kept body parts of victims as "souvenirs". Furthermore, they believed that the killer may have been arrested for other crimes.[6]
Meirhofer was 23 years old at the time and suspected in another murder. He denied the charges.[6] Meirhofer placed a telephone call to Marietta Jaeger, the mother of Susan Jaeger, exactly a year after the kidnapping, and she obtained enough information to help the FBI track him down.[7]
Meirhofer had killed Suzie Jaeger, two boys, and a woman.[5] In September 1974, he confessed to having kidnapped the woman, Sandra Dykman Smallegan, in her sleep during February of that same year.[1] Smallegan had once dated Meirhofer, but had ended the relationship.[1]
Death
On September 29, 1974, Meirhofer committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell in the Gallatin County, Montana, jail, four hours after confessing to the murders.[1]
Victims
- Bernard L. Poelman, age 13, on March 19, 1967, in Gallatin County, Montana.[8]
- Michael E. Raney, age 12, on May 7, 1968, in Gallatin County, Montana.[9]
- Susan Jaeger, age 7, on June 25, 1973, in Gallatin County, Montana.[10][11]
- Sandra D. Smallegan, age 19, on February 10, 1974, in Gallatin County, Montana.[12][13]
Media Presentations
The police and FBI investigation into the abduction and murder of Susan Jaeger was portrayed in the May 27, 2003 episode of the television documentary series The FBI Files entitled Dark Woods. In the episode, the name David Meirhofer was changed to David Masterson.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Sullivan, Ted. October 12, 2005. Personal Items Belonging to 1974 Murder Victim Found in Manhattan (Mont). Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ↑ David G. Meirhofer at findagrave.com. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ↑ Claridge, Jack. "Criminal Profiling & Its Use in Crime Solving". Explore Forensics. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
- ↑ The History Channel Classroom Study Guides: Meirhofer Retrieved on June 28, 2007. Archived March 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 Ramsland, Katherine. "Criminal Profiling: Part 1: History and Method, Chpt 5: The BSU". CourtTV Crime Library (2007). TBS, Inc. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- 1 2 Garrido Genoves, Vincente. 2007. El perfil Criminologico como un tecnico forense (in Spanish). University of Valencia. Retrieved on June 30, 2007.
- ↑ Forgiving.org. 2005. An account of the experience of Marietta Jaeger, the mother of Susan Jaeger. Retrieved on June 30, 2007. Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Montana State Death Index 1960-1969 – P at rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ↑ Montana State Death Index 1960-1969 – R at rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ↑ Kidnapping Suspect is Arrested" Farmington (MI) Observer & Eccentric, September 30, 1974. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ↑ Associated Press, October 2, 1974. "Transcript of Confession Portrays a 'Mindless Monster'", The Argus-Press, Owosso, Michigan. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ↑ Montana State Death Index 1970-1979 – S at rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ↑ Huff, David. September 23, 2008. "Her Name was Siobhan" TrueCrimeReport.com. Retrieved 2011-12-12.