Ep 12. Bury Their Babies

In Deadly Women season 6 episode 12, titled "Bury Their Babies," viewers are taken into the chilling world of women who committed the ultimate betrayal by murdering their own children. The episode examines three cases of women who killed their offspring, leaving behind a trail of both heartbreak and horror.

The first case features a woman named Lianne Smith, a former social worker from the UK who suffocated her two young children, aged 11 weeks and 11 months, while they slept in a hotel room in Spain. Smith was going through a bitter separation with her partner, and the murder-suicide of her children was an act of revenge against him. Through interviews with those involved with the case, viewers get a glimpse into the complex mind of a woman capable of harming the very children she was supposed to protect.

The second case delves into the story of Darlie Routier, a Texas mother who was convicted of murdering her two sons, aged 5 and 6, in 1996. Routier claimed that an intruder had broken into her home and attacked her and her children while her husband was out of town. However, police and prosecutors argued that she staged the break-in and was responsible for the deaths of her children. The episode explores the evidence presented at her trial and the factors that led to her conviction.

The final case featured in "Bury Their Babies" is that of Amanda Hamm, an Illinois woman who, along with two friends, drove a car into a lake with her three young children inside. Two of the children, aged 1 and 3, drowned, while the oldest, aged 6, survived. Hamm initially denied any involvement in the deaths but later admitted to being in the car and watching as her friends, who were driving, took the car into the water. The episode examines what led to Hamm's shocking decision to allow her children to die and the impact it had on her community.

As with every episode of Deadly Women, "Bury Their Babies" explores the psychological, societal, and personal factors that led to these women taking such extreme and devastating actions. Along the way, experts offer insight into the minds of the study subjects and the ways in which their cases differ from those of men who commit similar crimes. Through interviews with those closest to the cases, as well as commentary from experts in psychology and criminology, viewers are given a sobering glimpse into the darker side of humanity.