Dr Ann Burgess is a pioneering criminal profiler who inspired characters in iconic shows and films like Mindhunter, The Silence of the Lambs and Law and Order SVU.
Dr Ann Burgess lent her expertise to investigations involving some of America’s most notorious serial killers, including Ted Bundy, Ed Kemper, and Dennis Rader.
BBC Two airs the opening episode of Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer tonight, Tuesday, April 14, a three-part documentary series examining the life of Dr Ann Burgess.
Originally trained as a psychiatric mental health nurse, Burgess became one of the FBI’s most valuable assets, transforming criminal profiling and helping to apprehend killers throughout the 1970s and 1980s – work that remains vitally important to this day.
Her contributions proved so significant that she served as the inspiration for Netflix‘s acclaimed crime thriller Mindhunter, with psychologist Dr Wendy Carr from the FBI’s Behaviour Science Unit (BSU) modelled on Burgess.
Where is Dr Ann Burgess now?
At 89-years-old, Dr Ann Burgess shows absolutely no indication of stepping back, as she continues her profiling work.
Rather than focusing on serial killers, however, Burgess has redirected her efforts towards profiling school shooters, collaborating with her granddaughter Alex, according to CBS.
Together, they gather data drawn from shooters’ manifestos, hoping to develop a profiling technique that enables teachers and others to identify students displaying worrying behavioural signs.
Burgess told CBS that the motivation “always includes a grievance”, as she continued: “And then they start researching and developing their plan.
“Law enforcement is onto this, and I think that they are making great strides on the cases that don’t turn out to be lethal.”
Beyond this work, Burgess also dedicates her time to training nurses in Boston to identify indicators that women with dementia have been subjected to sexual assault in care homes.
Burgess is notoriously private, with little known about her personal life. Her husband Allen, a computer engineer, was an ardent supporter of her FBI work.
Holding a pilot’s licence, Allen would fly her to and from Quantico, Virginia, to conduct her research, until Burgess eventually obtained her own licence.
The couple have four children together – two sons and two daughters – and Burgess now collaborates closely with her granddaughter Alex on her most recent project.
Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer is available to watch on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
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