Susan Jacobs

Susan Jacobs was an abductor and would-be murderer who appeared in Season Three of Criminal Minds.

Background
Susan originally worked at a local mall in Potomac Mills, Virginia before quitting to pursue another career, eventually meeting and marrying Richard Jacobs, who she had a son named Jeremy with. While the marriage was at first a happy one it fell apart when it became apparent Richard was a pedophile and was molesting their young niece Katie, who Susan came to irrationally blame for her failing home life. In 2007 a girl the same age as Katie was abducted from the mall and later found dead, news which prompted Susan into enacting a desperate plan which she believed could save her marriage. A week after the death of the girl Susan, her family, in-laws and niece went to the mall for a day of shopping, with Susan claiming she planned on buying Richard a birthday present. While Jeremy, who was supposed to be watching Katie, was distracted in the arcade Susan approached her niece and led her away, ripped off the necklace her husband had given the girl, bound and gagged her and placed her in a storage cabinet in the basement of the mall, knowing full well Katie would likely die in there due to her severe asthma.

Seven Seconds
When Katie's disappearance is noticed by her parents it is Susan who calls the authorities, who in turn call in the BAU to help with the search for Katie, believing her abduction may be related to the one from a week earlier. With the mall shut down and the search for Katie started Susan plays the part of the bewildered bystander and comforts her hysterical in-laws. When it becomes apparent she is hiding something Susan is confronted by Prentiss, who bombards her with the facts - she used to work at this very mall, remained fairly nonchalant when they questioned Jeremy about Katie and her entire "happy marriage" appears to be a charade, as she barely seems to know her husband anymore (Susan had claimed the birthday present she was getting him was a lighter, even though Richard had quit smoking a month ago). When Prentiss shoves a doll which Katie had mutilated and disfigured in response to the abuse she suffered (which Susan undoubtedly knew about) into her face Susan finally breaks down and is arrested, with Katie being found and resuscitated a short time later. Susan and Richard are both taken away by the authorities, with Jeremy admitting to Reid and Morgan that right before Katie was taken he had heard her call his mother's name.

Profile
Katie's abductor used coercion instead of force to take her, meaning it was likely they were either someone she knew or someone of visible authority. The necklace Katie wore being ripped from her neck and tossed in the trash indicated an unsub driven by rage and a personal vendetta, not one driven by lust, who would not bother to waste time committing such a seemingly pointless act. Susan blamed her failing marriage not on her husband's pedophilia but on her niece and believed that by removing her from the picture she could reconcile with Richard.

Modus Operandi
Making sure to stay off security cameras Susan lured Katie away by calling her name and, when the girl was in her possession, bound her with rope, muffled her with duct tape and stuffed her in a storage closet, where she left her to die.

Known Victims

 * Katie Jacobs (attempted)

Appearances

 * Season Three
 * "Seven Seconds"