| “ | They're [the toys] reminders of patients that I've helped. | ” |
— Malcolm to Reid
| ||
Dr. Arthur Malcolm is a pedophile and the father of serial killer Samantha Malcolm, who appeared in the Season Five episode of Criminal Minds, "The Uncanny Valley".
Background[]
Malcolm was a pediatrician and child psychiatrist at "New Lives," his own institution for troubled youths. When his wife died of unknown causes, he began molesting his daughter, Samantha, training her to keep it a secret and punishing her with electroshock therapy if she slipped up. He gave her dolls as a way to apologize, a habit which would later form her psychopathology. Arthur continued molesting girls he treated, keeping toys he had treated them with as souvenirs in his office. A few months prior to the episode, Samantha saw him give away her old dolls to a patient, driving her to abduct women and turn them into real-life surrogates of them, which would result in the deaths of a number of them.
The Uncanny Valley[]
When Reid and Rossi come to question him after three of Samantha's victims die, Reid realizes that Malcolm is a child molester after spotting toys on his shelf. They tell him that they are going to bring some of his victims and the toys he used in his theory with them to prosecute him and have the girls he molested testify, but offer to tell the District Attorney that he cooperated in exchange for Samantha's whereabouts. Caving in under the heavy pressure, he gave them her address and was presumably prosecuted for his crimes afterwards.
Modus Operandi[]
Targeting his own patients, all young girls, Malcolm would molest his victims. He also tortured Samantha (and presumably other molestation victims) with electroshock therapy in order to buy her silence. Afterward, he would give his victims dolls as a way to apologize. He continued the pattern and once they left his care, he treasured their toys by adding to his collection, not just the ones he had on his shelf.
Profile[]
You'll tell the D.A. I cooperated?
- Malcolm confessing to his rapes
While no profile was made of Malcolm since the BAU was more focused on Samantha, Reid made an inference; an educated guess on him after spotting toys on his shelf. Based on that, he formed a hypothesis. He hypothesized that after he raped his daughter, Samantha, he submitted her to electroshock treatment to make sure she stayed quiet. Then out of guilt, Malcolm bought her toys; more specifically, he bought her a line of dolls because serial molesters like him give gifts. He continued the pattern with his other patients, and once they left his care, he added their toys to his collection.
Known Victims[]
- 1990s: Samantha Malcolm (his daughter; molested and tortured with electroshock therapy)
- Unspecified dates: All of the following girls were molested by him:
- Jenny Larson
- Abigail Moore
- Linda Krause
- Numerous other unnamed victims