Mary Ann Cotton | Estateplanning | Vibepedia.Network

Mary Ann Cotton was a notorious English serial killer who was convicted of murdering her stepson through arsenic poisoning, but is believed to have killed many others, including 11 of her 13 children and three of her four husbands, for their life insurance policies. Her crimes were uncovered after she attempted to send her stepson to a workhouse and later reported his death, prompting an investigation that revealed a pattern of suspicious deaths among her family members. Cotton's preferred method of killing was poisoning with arsenic, and she was eventually convicted of her stepson's murder and sentenced to death by hanging. Her case is considered one of the most shocking examples of serial murder in English history, and her motives and methods have been the subject of much speculation and debate. With a total of 13 suspected murders, Cotton's reign of terror lasted for over a decade, from 1860 to 1872, and her notoriety has endured long after her execution on March 24, 1873. The investigation into her crimes was led by the local authorities, with the help of [[durham-gaol|Durham Gaol]] officials, and her case has been widely reported by newspapers, including the [[times-of-london|The Times of London]].