Samantha Malcolm

Samantha Malcolm is a serial killer who appeared in The Uncanny Valley.

Background
Samantha had lived in Atlantic City and sewn her whole life. When she was 10, her mother died. Her father then began molesting her, buying dolls as an apology. The sexual abuse caused her to suffer from depression which in turn drove her to cut herself. Her father taught her to never reveal the abuse, punishing her with electric shock therapy which permanently warped her mind when she got it wrong. At some point in her life, there was a competition held by a toy company to put together a doll and write an essay about its persona. The winner would have her doll produced in the next line. This did not turn out well, as having children recreate events with dolls is a common childs' psychology tool. The result became that some entries contained references to physical and sexual abuse. The bad publicity ended the competition. Samantha kept receiving a treatment of antipsychotic drugs from her father at his own treatment facility "New Lives", who later declared incompetent and became the legal guardian of her property. A few months prior to The Uncanny Valley, she saw her father give her old dolls to another girl. This became the stressor that caused her to begin her abductions.

The Uncanny Valley
In The Uncanny Valley, the BAU were brought in to help catch her after her second fatal victim is found. She is then seen abducting Bethany Wallace by pretending to be having trouble pushing a wheel-chair into her van. She then tasers her to knock her out and tells her she's pretty. She is then seen dressing up a victim. After taking one of her dresses to a professional tailor, JJ learned that a stitch pattern used to sew silk handkerchiefs by hand was used, suggesting that the maker is a master at sewing, even an artist, and has been at it for a long time. After that, the BAU learn that Bethany Wallace is a diabetic and will die within 24 hours if she isn't treated. Rossi consults with a doctor to ask about the matter. He explains that she probably died minutes after being dosed, but, on the other hand, her condition may also cause her to break down the drugs faster, resulting in her awakening sooner. When Reid and Derek visited a professional doll maker, they learned about the competition.

Meanwhile, Bethany had managed to regain some control over her arm, being able to push down a teacup from the table. While going through the doll entries and reading the essays, the BAU found a doll whose dress had the same stitch patterns as the victims' dresses. Going through Samantha's past, they deduced that she was the Unsub. In the meantime, Samantha headed for work and left her abductees alone. Bethany then used her limited control over herself to remove her IV and declared to the others: "We're leaving". Dragging herself across the floor, she got to a phone but found it to be unfunctioning. She then removed Maxine Wynan's IV before passing out. When visiting Dr Malcolm's office, Rossi and Reid realized from Dr Malcolm's collection of toys kept in his office that he had molested a number of his female patients. They promised to have some of them testify and bring him down, but offered to tell the district attorney that he cooperated in exchange for Samantha's address. Shortly after Samantha came home and noticed that things were out of place, Reid entered the house and gave her back her old dolls. After he promised her that she could take her dolls with her, she surrendered and was arrested.

Modus Operandi
Samantha targeted small women in their late 20s. She would incapacitate them using a taser. She kept her victims sedated using neural inhibitors and muscle relaxants such as atracurium and doxacurium chloride. She would keep them well-fed intravenously, always making sure she had three at one time in order to fulfill the picture of a tea party for four, she being the fourth. While having a full "collection", she would pretend they were real dolls and play with them. After two months, their brains would stroke out because of the lack of stimulus and motor function and die. Samantha would then place the bodies in areas associated with childhood and innocence, such as swings or a merry-go-round.

Profile
The BAU profiles Samantha as a "collector", an offendor who is antisocial and extremely introverted and has developed an obsession for certain objects. She will have attached a part of herself in her obsession and if her fantasy is interupted, she will respond very violently, even psychotically. They suffer damage to their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain which regulates Freudian fantasy realities, but are still able to lead normal day lives, excelling at goal-oriented tasks, such as sewing or even abducting. Their ability to differ living from dead is irreperably destroyed. The BAU believe that Samantha collects dolls and, having recently lost her original collection, is now abducting women as similar to them as possible and turning them into surrogates. The sedation is a way for her to preserve her fantasy, placing them in a state where they can't talk back. The intent isn't violence, but to create a collection which helps her feel in control of her life, probably in order to overcome some past trauma in her life. Samantha would work alone, have medical training and is likely a nurse or an orderly who has been fired for lack of social grace, being unable to fake a bedside manner. She now works as a tailor or seamstress.

Known Victims

 * Maxine Wynan (abducted on January 11, survived)
 * Cindy Abmindson (survived)
 * Stacia Jackson (died of a brain hemorage, placed on a swing after death)
 * Rita Stuart (died of a stroke, placed on a merry-go-round after death)
 * Mary Newsome (died of unspecified cause, placed on a bench after death)
 * Bethany Wallace (survived)

Appearance

 * Season Five
 * The Uncanny Valley