Jane Gould

"I am here to save you from yourself!"

Jane Gould is a stalker, abductor, and budding serial killer who appeared in Today I Do.

Background
Jane was raised by her grandparents until they died when she was in middle school. After being placed in foster care, she began acting out by committing acts of vandalism and property destruction in desperate attempts to get attention. When that failed, she started cutting herself. Eventually, prior to Today I Do, she realized that cutting herself wasn't going anywhere and she decided to make her life meaningful, stalking Gale Langston around the Syracuse General Hospital, where she was treated for depression. Using the information she found out about her to her advantage, Jane befriended Gale and began advising her with self-help methods.

When Gale started to recover from her depression, Jane realized that she was becoming meaningless by the minute and abducted Gale, taking her to an old residence of hers by Lake Maple, where she continued "helping" them, beating her legs or feet with a hammer whenever she displeased him in some significant way. When Jane realized that her actions were wrong, she killed Gale. When she felt herself being completely meaningless again, she stalked Molly Grandin around the Syracuse General Hospital, where she was treated for being an anorexic, as well as being abused by her ex-boyfriend. Again, Jane used information she learned about Molly to befriend her, advised her with self-help methods, and abducted her when Molly began to recover and she felt meaningless again. Meanwhile, the BAU was called in when Gale's body was found and Molly's disappearance was reported.

Today I Do
When Molly displeases her again, Jane beats her feet with a hammer. Eventually, she found out that Molly was still loyal to her ex-boyfriend, Lyle Donaldson, forcing her to stalk Lyle around and learn some information about him. She later charmed Lyle by giving him his favorite alcoholic beverage and the two drank together. Lyle became drunk, allowing Jane to get him to have sex with her at her house. Jane recorded the entire process on a camera and presented the video to Molly the following morning in order to convince her that Lyle wasn't being loyal to her in return. However, Molly isn't convinced and reveals a stick she managed to sharpen out of a piece of wood. Jane isn't intimidated and suddenly, Lyle, having managed to break free from the shackles Jane placed on him, bursts in the room. Lyle attacks Jane, allowing Molly to escape, but she drops her sharpened stick in the process. Jane manages to grab the stick and stab Lyle in the neck with it, killing him instantly.

Jane catches up with Molly in her car and hits her with it in a fit of rage, knocking her unconscious. Taking Molly to Lake Maple, she attempts to kill him when the BAU, having discerned her as the unsub and finding her with help from Garcia, arrive and attempt to convince Jane to stand down. Jane refuses just as Molly regains consciousness and manages to get out of Jane's arms, wading into the lake with Jane in pursuit. However, Jane is immediately arrested by local policemen who wade into the water. Just before she is taken into a police car, Jane apologizes to Molly's father, who arrived to watch Molly being taken away in an ambulance.

Modus Operandi
Jane targeted girls who were physically small, had very low self-esteem, were struggling with balancing a full-time job and university studies, and had suffered from some kind of major burden (Gale Langston was depressed, Molly Grandin a former anorexic who was abused by her ex-boyfriend). She found them when they were treated at Syracuse General Hospital for their condition and stalked them around the hospital in order to find out what kind of clothing articles, such as a scarf or a handbag, they possessed. Before the day they were discharged, she would buy the same clothing article and use it to bond with them when she met them coming out of the hospital. At first, she befriended them and helped them get back on their feet using simple self-help methods. She did this as a way to give herself a purpose and make herself meaningful. The victims did always get better, which is when Jane's plan failed, since they were able to manage on their own, making her help unnecessary.

She would then abduct the women and take them to a house by Lake Maple where she used to live, hold them captive and continue "helping" them. When one of them displeased or insulted her, she would beat their legs or their feet with a hammer (she called it "the humility check"). After a while, when Jane realized that what she was doing was leading to nothing, she would take her victims to the lake, stab them in the chest with a screwdriver, and give them a water burial.

Profile
The UnSub is a woman in her mid-20s, blue-collar, who was most likely raised either by a single parent or ﻿in foster care. She is a native of the area and knows it. She probably has a job in which she can act as a caregiver, such as masseuse, personal trainer, or hairstylist. Women are comfortable enough around her to open up about their problems and insecurities, which she then uses to manipulate their trust. She is most likely not posing as a therapist or counselor since her narcissistic personality makes it impossible for her to talk about something other than herself for long. It is also unlikely that she has any kind of degree, being unable to accept new knowledge and being taught. Though she would require some kind of certification for such jobs, her skills of manipulation have probably allowed her access to several jobs from which she was then fired when her employers learned that her credentials were fake.

Known Victims

 * Gail Langston
 * Molly Grandin
 * Lyle Donaldson

Appearances

 * Season Six
 * Today I Do