- David Meirhofer
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David Meirhofer 
Background information Birth name David G. Meirhofer Born June 8, 1949
MontanaDied September 29, 1974 Cause of death Suicide Killings Number of victims: 4 Span of killings 1966–1974 Country USA State(s) Montana Date apprehended 1974 David G. Meirhofer (June 8, 1949 – September 29, 1974)[1] was an American serial killer who committed four murders in rural Montana between 1973 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 caught using the technique.[citation needed] Offender profiling is a method used to learn clues about the characteristics of an unknown killer from evidence at the scene of the crime.[2]
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[3] and no physical evidence.[4] 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". Further, they believed that the killer may have been arrested for other crimes.[2]
Meirhofer was 23 years old at the time and suspected in another murder. He denied the charges.[2] 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.[5]
Meirhofer had killed Suzie Jaeger, two boys, and a woman.[4] In September 1974, he confessed to having kidnapped the woman, Sandra Dykman Smallegan, in her sleep during February of that same year.[6] Smallegan had once dated Meirhofer, but had ended the relationship.[6]
On September 29, 1974, Meirhofer committed suicide by hanging himself in jail,[6] hours after confessing to the murders.
Victims
- Sandra Smallegan, 19.
- Bernard Poelman, 13.
- Michael Raney, 12.
- Susan Jaeger, 7.
References
- ^ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=meirhofer&GSfn=david&GSbyrel=in&GSdyrel=in&GSob=n&GRid=50028111&
- ^ a b c Garrido Genoves, Vincente. 2007. http://www.uv.es/crim/cas/perfil.criminologico.pdf El perfil Criminologico como un tecnico forense (in Spanish). University of Valencia. Retrieved on June 30, 2007.
- ^ The History Channel Classroom Study Guides: Meirhofter Retrieved on June 28, 2007.
- ^ a b CourtTV Crime Library. 2007. Criminal profiling: Part 1: History and method. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved on June 28, 2007.
- ^ Forgiving.org. 2005. An account of the experience of Marietta Jaeger, the mother of Susan Jaeger. Retrieved on June 30, 2007.[dead link]
- ^ a b c Sullivan, Ted. Personal items belonging to 1974 murder victim found in Manhattan. Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved on June 28, 2007.
- ^ http://www.truecrimereport.com/2008/09/her_name_was_siobhan.php
Categories:- 1949 births
- 1974 deaths
- American murderers of children
- American people who died in prison custody
- American serial killers
- People who committed suicide in prison custody
- Prisoners who died in Montana detention
- Serial killers who committed suicide
- Suicides by hanging in Montana
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