Dagmar Johanne Amalie Overbye (; 23 April 1887 – 6 May 1929) was a Danish

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

. She murdered between 9 and 25 children, including one of her own, during a seven-year-period from 1913 to 1920. On 3 March 1921, she was

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

in one of the most noted trials in Danish history—one that changed legislation on

childcare Child care, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...

. The sentence was later commuted to

life in prison Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...

. Overbye was working as a professional child caretaker, caring for babies born outside of marriage, murdering her own charges. She strangled them, drowned them, or burned them to death in her

masonry heater A masonry heater (also called a masonry stove) is a device for warming an interior space through radiant heating, by capturing the heat from periodic burning of fuel (usually wood), and then radiating the heat at a fairly constant temperature fo ...

. The corpses were either cremated, buried, or hidden in the loft. Overbye was convicted of nine murders as there was insufficient proof of the others. Her lawyer based the defense on Overbye being abused herself as a baby, yet that claim did not impress the judge. She became one of the three women sentenced to death in Denmark in the 20th century, but she – like the other two – was reprieved. She died in prison on 6 May 1929 at the age of 42. Notes relating to her case are included in the Politihistorisk Museum (Museum of Police History) in

Nørrebro Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current N ...

, Copenhagen.

In popular culture

The Danish author Karen Søndergaard Koldste wrote a novel called ''Englemagersken'' (''The Angel Maker'') based on her. Teatret ved Sorte Hest in Copenhagen has performed a play named ''Historien om en Mo(r)der'' (''Morder'' meaning "murderer" and ''moder'' meaning "mother") based on her life. Premiering at Chicago Horror Film Festival in 2024, Peder Pedersen's feature film ''Englebørn'' AKA ''Lost Angels'' stars Agnes Born as a troubled young artist whose traumas resurface as she hears the sound of crying babies appearing from nowhere; it turns out she is living in one of the apartments where Dagmar Overbye committed her infanticide. Overbye is a character in the 2024 film '' The Girl with the Needle'', directed by Poland-based Swedish director Magnus von Horn, where she is portrayed by

Trine Dyrholm Trine Dyrholm (; born 15 April 1972) is a Danish actress, singer and songwriter. Dyrholm received national recognition when she placed third in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix as a 14-year-old singer. Four years later, she again achieved national r ...

as a candy shopkeeper who quietly advertises she can get babies adopted for a fee, but in fact kills them after their mothers drop them off. The film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overby, Dagmar Johanne Amalie 1887 births 1929 deaths 20th-century Danish criminals Danish female murderers Danish murderers of children Danish people convicted of murder Danish people who died in prison custody Danish prisoners sentenced to death Danish serial killers Female serial killers Filicides People convicted of murder by Denmark Prisoners sentenced to death by Denmark Prisoners who died in Danish detention Serial killers who died in prison custody Women sentenced to death

In popular culture

See also

References