Mothers Who Murder Read Free Page A

saw the missing person last – and that was Lindy. There were, of course, other suspects, including everyone at the campsite the night Azaria went missing. All had opportunity, as the baby was left alone with no one around, except for her sleeping brother, four-year-old Reagan. However, no one at the campsite had motive, and no one was seen with a baby or leaving the tent cradling anything that could have been a baby. The police would have interviewed everyone in the immediate vicinity at the time regardless, checking the potential for any alibis, and later interviewing all campers there that night.
    As the Crown prosecutor stated at the Chamberlains’ trial, in reality there were two simple alternatives to consider – either Lindy killed Azaria or a dingo did. It appears the police favoured Lindy over the dingo hypothesis from the beginning. When a child has gone missing, and the family is under suspicion, investigators will consider a number of motives. Recent research has indicated that males and females are equally capable of killing their children, but the reasons behind the acts differ. Fathersare more likely to kill to take revenge on their (normally ex) partners, to make them suffer emotionally. 6 Mothers, on the other hand, are sometimes incentivised to kill their children if they intend to commit suicide and cannot bear the thought of leaving their children without a mother. Obviously, that motive did not apply in Lindy’s case, as she had two older children who remained unharmed.
    Azaria was very young, so another reason investigators may have considered is post-natal depression. The arrival of a new baby is normally a happy time, but research has significantly increased our understanding of the emotional effects of giving birth, showing that for some mothers it can also be an incredibly stressful time when a lot of adjustments are taking place. Mood changes are common and range from mild to severe. We now know that in the year following a child’s birth, a woman is more likely to need psychiatric help than at any other time in her life. The first stage is known as the ‘baby blues’, occurring a few days after birth and suffered by around 80 per cent of women. This is a transient condition which manifests in tearfulness, irritability and mood changes, which in most cases passes without further problems. When things don’t improve, mothers can develop post-natal depression, which can occur any time within twelve months after the birth, to women of any age. Again, symptoms can be mild to severe. Causal factors are varied, and each woman’s experience of post-natal depression will be unique, but it can be brought on or made worse by psychological factors, a difficult or traumatic birth, an abusive childhood, unrealistic expectations of motherhood, and difficulties in communicating effectively. Social factors also influence a woman’s likelihood of developing post-natal depression,including lack of family and community support, a difficult relationship with a partner or family member, and social isolation and lack of close friends, particularly those with children. In the worst cases, mothers can develop post-natal psychosis, which affects around one in every 500 mothers, a much higher percentage than most people imagine. Normally occurring in the first four months after birth, this is a serious condition, partly because the mother may not know she is unwell as she has a reduced grasp on reality. Symptoms vary and can include mood swings (both elation and depression), inexplicable thoughts and inappropriate responses to the baby. It is now recognised that there is a risk to the life of both the mother and the baby if the symptoms are severe enough but remain untreated. However, with appropriate help, women suffering from post-natal psychosis recover fully.
    So, looking at this case from the investigator’s perspective, and with a view to determining potential motives, we have to wonder if this was a possible