Claire Dunbar

"Haven't you ever wished upon a star?"

Claire Dunbar is a delusional "black widow"-type serial killer who appeared in Season Ten of Criminal Minds.

Background
Claire grew up never knowing her mother, due to her mother being institutionalized on March 8, 1990, shortly after her birth and was raised by her father Edward Rawley, a pedophile whose favorite target was presumably his own daughter. As a child, she would be read bedtime stories by her father, which caused her to become heavily fond towards books. Her favorite story was the fairy-tale Cinderella. During her teenage years, she was abandoned by Edward for unknown reasons, with only a note of apology attached to her blouse. She wound up living in a foster home with a mother and her three daughters, where she was presumably abused. Edward would go on to be arrested on May 5, 2002 for sexually assaulting two girls and later die in prison of a heart attack on June 23, 2005. As an adult, Claire got a job as a seamstress at a dry-cleaner, although she got into conflicts with her boss due to her poor work ethic and tendency to steal some of the dresses that were dropped off. She also befriended her boss's son Chris Jensen, another employee at the dry-cleaners who came to pity her and had a crush on her. She would also visit the grave of a deceased woman, being under the deluded belief that it was where her father was buried, since in reality she didn't really know where he was actually buried.

Due to being abandoned and all of the apparent abuse she had suffered, her mind became increasingly unstable and she began developing a childlike delusion in which she was Cinderella. On November 1, 2014, she became impressed with the car of an affluent college student named Douglas Clark, who became sexually interested in her. Clark had previously been seducing other female college students into having sex with him in his dormitory room and secretly recording the acts so he could distribute them online; he may have been planning to do the same thing with Claire. The two went out one night, which caused Claire to believe that she may have finally found her Prince Charming. However, the date went into a downwards spiral (Clark had presumably tried to have sex with her against her consent) and she was forced to stab Clark in the neck with her stiletto heel. Her fantasy shattered, Claire then flew into a rage and stabbed Clark repeatedly with a pair of gardening shears she had conveniently brought along, killing him. Afterwards, her mind continued to break down and she sought to find her Prince Charming, killing any potential suitors if they didn't meet her criteria of being a kind gentleman.

Modus Operandi
Claire targeted handsome male college students in their 20s, all of whom would approach her first after being captivated by her beauty. After going out on a date with them, she would talk with them about finding the right person to love, and when their responses were unsatisfactory, she would attack them. Her first victim, who was killed out of self-defense, was stabbed in the neck with her stiletto heel in a spontaneous act, then killed by being stabbed repeatedly with a pair of gardening shears. Her second victim was tied up and tortured by being stabbed in the neck with the same stiletto heel, then stabbed repeatedly with the gardening shears. Her third victim was also tied up, though it was consensual as the victim believed it was part of the sex he had expected; afterwards, she stabbed him to death and then sprinkled ash all over his body for unknown reasons (possibly as a reference to the fairy godmother featured in Cinderella). Her fourth victim, also killed out of self-defense, was killed more violently than the others: he was bludgeoned twice with a large slab of rock, then stabbed in the neck with her stiletto heel. Common signatures for all four murders were that she would leave a personal item of the victims stuffed in their mouths, such as cellphones and wristwatches, and that their cars would be smashed in fits of rages afterwards.

Profile
The unsub is a female annihilator, a kind of "black widow"-type serial killer who lures men in with the promise of sex and then kills them. What triggered the murders is unknown, but it was most likely connected to a specific person or event. She is an attractive woman in her early 20s, which is how she is able to draw in her victims, all affluent, handsome young men. She herself lives humbly, though without much money. The killer inserts cellphones or wristwatches into her victims' mouths and sets the alarm for midnight as a way of saying "Time's up" or "A new day dawns, but not for you". Putting objects in the victims' mouths is also a symbolic way to silence or gag victims. This could also indicate that the unsub feels her own voice has not been heard; if the triggering event was an assault suffered by the unsub herself, she might feel that she was denied the justice she deserved. As a result of this perception, she takes on the role of judge, jury, and executioner, killing surrogates for her own assailant. She may have been a victim of sexual assault, but charges were not filed because the suspect was either wealthy or connected. With the third victim, ash residue was found on his body and inside his car. This particular ritual aspect could symbolize the unsub's rebirth, much like the phoenix rising from the ashes to live again. With this sense of resurrection she experiences with each murder, she becomes more emboldened and dangerous.

It is difficult to determine whether Claire is a serial or spree killer. While she targeted specific victims, planned out most of the murders beforehand, and had a specific M.O., it should be noted that she attacked her victims roughly daily.

Known Victims

 * 2014:
 * November 1: Douglas Clark
 * November 2: Kevin Brubaker
 * November 3: Colin Baylor
 * November 4: John Franklin
 * November 5: Chris Jensen

Appearances

 * Season Ten
 * If the Shoe Fits