Mary Ann Cotton

Criminal

Birthday October 31, 1832

Birth Sign Scorpio

Birthplace England

DEATH DATE Mar 24, 1873 (40)

About

British criminal who was hanged for murdering her children and who may have poisoned as many as twenty-one people in total.

Before Fame

Her father plummeted to his death in a mine shaft in Murton, England when Mary Ann was eight years old.

Trivia

Her murderous deeds were revealed after her stepson, Charles Cotton, died. The boy's doctor discovered that medical samples taken from the victim contained arsenic.

Family Life

She was married three times and had close to a dozen children. All of her children, her husbands, her lover, her mother, and several children under her care died (most under mysterious circumstances).

Associated With

She and fellow Englishwoman, Rosemary West, were both infamous serial killers.