Dagmar Overbye: Denmark’s Angel Maker and the Horrific Infanticides of the Early 20th Century
In the dim underbelly of Copenhagen’s working-class neighborhoods during the 1910s, a woman offered desperate unwed mothers a glimmer of hope. Dagmar Overbye promised to care for their illegitimate children, finding them loving homes through adoption. For a modest fee, she ran what appeared to be a benevolent baby farm, easing the shame and poverty that plagued single mothers in Edwardian-era Denmark. But behind the facade of compassion lurked a monster. Overbye, dubbed the “Angel Maker” by a horrified press, systematically murdered at least 16 infants—and possibly as many as 25—whose tiny bodies she disposed of in the most callous ways imaginable.
From 1909 to 1920, Overbye’s crimes went undetected, a testament to the era’s social stigmas around illegitimacy and the lack of oversight for such private institutions. Her story is not just one of individual depravity but a stark reflection of societal failures: the desperation of abandoned women, inadequate child welfare systems, and the normalization of infant mortality in hidden corners of society. This case study dissects her background, modus operandi, the investigation that unraveled her empire of death, and the psychological forces that drove her. Above all, it honors the voiceless victims, innocent lives snuffed out for profit and convenience.
Overbye’s reign of terror ended in 1920, but its echoes linger in Denmark’s criminal history as one of the nation’s most prolific female serial killers. Her methods were brutal, her deception profound, and her conviction a rare moment of justice in an age when infanticide often went unpunished. What drove a seemingly ordinary woman to such atrocities? The answers lie in a toxic brew of greed, resentment, and profound detachment from humanity.
Early Life and Path to Infamy
Dagmar Johanne Christiansen Overbye was born on April 23, 1887, in Adum, a small town in Jutland, Denmark. Her childhood was marked by instability typical of the rural poor. Orphaned young or abandoned by her parents—accounts vary—she was shuffled between relatives and foster homes. By her teens, Overbye had moved to Copenhagen, seeking work as a domestic servant. Marriage followed in 1908 to a painter named Rasmus Overbye, but the union was childless and strained, exacerbated by financial woes and her growing disdain for motherhood.
Copenhagen in the early 1900s was a city of stark contrasts: booming industrialization alongside grinding poverty. Unwed mothers faced ostracism, with illegitimacy rates hovering around 10 percent. Many turned to “baby farmers”—women who took in infants for a fee, ostensibly for nursing or adoption. Overbye saw opportunity here. In 1909, at age 22, she advertised her services as a midwife and childminder, opening her first “baby home” at 89 Istedgade, near the city’s red-light district. She preyed on vulnerable women, charging 200-500 kroner (roughly a month’s wages for a laborer) to “adopt” their babies.
Social Context: The Plight of Unwed Mothers
The era’s moral codes condemned single motherhood. Factories and servants’ quarters bred illegitimate births, but options were scarce: abortion was illegal and dangerous, orphanages overwhelmed. Overbye positioned herself as a savior, forging fake adoption papers and claiming connections to wealthy families. In reality, she murdered the children within days of receiving them, pocketing the fees and avoiding long-term care costs.
The Crimes: A Factory of Death
Overbye’s operation spanned over a decade, claiming victims from newborns to toddlers. She confessed to 16 murders but hinted at more; police suspected up to 25 based on witness accounts and incinerator remains. Her home became a chamber of horrors, with babies housed in cramped, filthy conditions before their inevitable end.
Modus Operandi and Methods of Disposal
Overbye’s killings were pragmatic and concealed. She strangled infants with her hands or fabric, drowned them in baths or buckets, or smothered them under pillows. For efficiency, she baked some alive in her kitchen stove or boiled them in pots. Remains were incinerated in the same stove, dissolved in lye baths, or dumped in Copenhagen’s harbors and landfills. One chilling detail: she kept a ledger of “adoptions,” noting fees but omitting the deaths.
- Strangulation and Smothering: Quick and silent, used on fussy babies to avoid noise complaints from neighbors.
- Drowning: Common for slightly older infants; bodies weighted and sunk in the Øresund Strait.
- Incineration: Her signature method; the stove’s constant smoke was dismissed as typical for a busy household.
Victims included children from prostitutes, factory girls, and domestic workers. One mother, alerted by Overbye’s evasive replies, arrived unannounced to find her child gone—Overbye claimed a “sudden adoption.” Such deceptions sustained her for years, netting thousands of kroner.
Analytical lens reveals Overbye’s crimes as economically motivated serial killing. Unlike thrill-seekers, she killed for profit, embodying “mercenary” homicide. Her detachment was profound; she later described babies as “burdens” she “relieved” society of, echoing eugenics-era views on the “unfit.”
Discovery and Investigation
The facade cracked in late 1920. A suspicious mother, Karen Elise Jensen, pressed Overbye about her son Ejnar, handed over months earlier. Overbye’s stammering excuses prompted Jensen to alert authorities. Police raided 89 Istedgade on December 29, 1920, finding filthy rooms, baby clothes stained with blood, and ash from the stove containing bone fragments.
Key Breakthroughs
Interrogation was pivotal. Initially defiant, Overbye broke after 48 hours, confessing to 16 killings and leading police to disposal sites. Neighbors corroborated: constant crying silenced abruptly, nocturnal smoke, and Overbye’s habit of “visiting” with shovels. Exhumations from landfills yielded tiny skeletons, confirmed by forensics as infants aged 1-18 months.
Denmark’s nascent police forensics shone here. Pathologist Johannes Helweg examined remains, matching them to missing children reports. Over 100 witnesses, including former clients, testified to Overbye’s pattern. The investigation expanded to her prior addresses, uncovering more evidence.
Trial and Conviction
Overbye’s trial began May 16, 1921, at Copenhagen City Court, captivating the nation. Prosecutors charged her with 17 murders (later adjusted), presenting her ledger, confessions, and physical evidence. She pleaded partial guilt, claiming some deaths were “natural” from neglect, but the jury saw through it.
The defense argued poverty and mental instability, but psychiatrists deemed her sane and calculating. On June 17, 1921, she was convicted of nine murders (Denmark’s statute limited charges) and sentenced to life imprisonment at Horsens State Prison. Denmark had abolished the death penalty in 1933, but even then, public outrage demanded execution.
“She is a beast in human form, devoid of all maternal instinct.” — Prosecutor during closing arguments.
Overbye showed no remorse, smirking at victims’ families. Her husband, complicit through inaction, received three years.
Psychological Profile: Anatomy of a Killer
Overbye defies easy categorization. Not a classic psychopath like Ted Bundy—she lacked charisma or sexual sadism—but exhibited traits: superficial charm to lure mothers, profound callousness, and manipulative deceit. Childhood abandonment likely fostered attachment disorders, viewing infants as objects.
Contributing Factors
- Münchhausen Syndrome by Proxy Elements: She thrived on the power of “saving” then destroying lives.
- Antisocial Personality Disorder: Greed overrode empathy; she hoarded earnings for luxuries.
- Societal Reinforcement: High infant mortality (20-30% in poor areas) normalized her acts initially.
Modern analysis might diagnose reactive attachment disorder compounded by opportunism. Unlike male serial killers, her crimes were domestic, hidden in “women’s work,” evading detection longer.
Legacy and Societal Impact
Overbye’s case spurred reforms. Denmark tightened baby farm regulations, mandating licenses and inspections by 1922. Child welfare laws expanded, with state orphanages preferred. Media sensationalism birthed the “Angel Maker” moniker, paralleling England’s Amelia Dyer (25+ kills, hanged 1896).
Today, she symbolizes unchecked private childcare dangers. Documentaries and books, like Englemageren (The Angel Maker), keep her memory alive, urging vigilance. Victim remembrance efforts include memorials for unnamed infants, restoring dignity to the forgotten.
Her death on January 6, 1929, at age 41 from pelvic cancer, ended her earthly suffering but not the scars. Fewer than 10 female serial killers in Danish history, Overbye ranks among the deadliest, her tally rivaling global peers.
Conclusion
Dagmar Overbye’s crimes expose humanity’s darkest capacities when greed eclipses compassion. She exploited the vulnerable, turning hope into horror for profit. Yet, her downfall catalyzed progress, safeguarding future generations. The true tragedy lies in the silenced cries of her victims—innocent souls deserving remembrance. In analyzing such evil, we honor them and fortify society against recurrence. Overbye was no angel; she was a predator unmasked by justice.
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