Profiler Of Serial Killers Gives Tips For Women To Stay Safe

Dr Ann Burgess, a serial killer profiler who has inspired fictional shows like Mindhunter and Criminal Minds, is the subject of the recently released documentary Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer on Hulu, which is creating waves. We can safely call her the OG who understands the minds of serial killers. Dr Ann is a professor and forensic nurse at Boston College, who was the first to start a study on sexual assault and rape victims. She also helped establish one of the first rape crisis centres in the US. It was Burgess who changed the way the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) worked with rape and sexual assault victims, teaching them to be more sensitive toward them. She has also authored the book A Killer By Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind. According to TIME, "Burgess also helped the agency improve its study of crime victims so agents could better understand the perpetrators of a crime, especially serial killers. As part of a behavioural science unit, she was an expert in profiling. Her first big success came when she profiled the killer in the 1983 murders of three boys in Nebraska who were bound, raped, and killed." According to the profile by Burgess, who is now 87 years old, the instructions were to look out for someone familiar with the boys—maybe a teacher or Boy Scouts leader. It was broadcast, and the public kept an eye on acquaintances of the boys. Soon enough, a Boy Scout leader called John Jubert was caught and who confessed to the crime. In the late 1970s, she was called on FBI as a consultant, where she interviewed and studied some of the country’s most notorious serial killers including Ed Kemper (“The Co-Ed Killer), Ted Bundy and John B Simonis (“The Ski Mask Rapist”).The veteran profiler has provided important tips for women to stay safe. One of her first tips is for women to get a German Shepherd dog. Speaking to People, she said, "A lot of killers seize the opportunity. So if they see a ‘Beware of Dog’ sign and think that a man is there who could possibly fight them, they’re going to move to the next house for the easier victim.” She says that keeping man's shoes outside your home, often makes a serial killer think that there is a masculine presence inside, and that the woman wouldn't be an easy target. Dr Burgess said she often puts workman's boots outside her front door if she's home alone to make it look like her husband is there.Women are known to rely on their intuition, and if something feels off, then they should pay heed to it. You aren't overreacting. Just learn to trust your gut instinct. Dr Ann says, "That’s your limbic system reacting. It’s an involuntary system that is set in us to alarm us, and you should pay attention to it. I just think that it’s only good sense to listen to it, and not to override the system.”