'Crybaby Serial Killer' - Australian Variants
Netlore Archive: Email claims that a serial killer may be using recordings of a crying baby to coax unsuspecting women into inviting him into their homes in Sydney and Melbourne.
Description: Email rumor
Circulating since: Oct. 2003 (this version)
Status: False
Example #1:
Email text contributed by M. Mottau, Oct. 29, 2003:
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Subject: Safety message for women. Subject: Fwd: Don't open your door if you hear a crying baby...You never know??? Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think it is a SERIAL KILLER. The man has killed 2 girls in Sydney and is now in Melbourne and has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night. Please pass this on! and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby. This e-mail should be taken SERIOUSLY!!! The "Crying Baby" theory was mentioned on Crime Stoppers this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in the vacinity of Footscray/Fitzroy, South Yarra area. I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle.Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better safe than sorry. |
Example #2:
Email text contributed by K. Allen, Oct. 30, 2003:
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Hi everyone, Im posting this message on behalf of Rachel as she is still having probs with her pc. Aparently there is a serial killer that was in Sydney and apparently is in Melbourne now. He has killed 2 women in Sydney so far, and what he does is he plays a tape of a crying baby at your door and or window. He makes sure the woman is home alone before doing this, and when the woman opens the door he gains access and rapes and murders them. Naturally anyone who hears a baby crying ( a real sounding cry) would go to investigate. This just happened to a friend of a friend of Rachels so it is very true and real. Luckily for this friend she was suspicious and called the police before venturing outside her house. So please if you hear a baby crying ouside your house, dont open the door, and call the police ASAP. Makes you sick to the stomach to think there are sicko's out there like this. |
Analysis: False, from top to bottom. This rumor originated in the United States in early 2003 when public hysteria over a serial killer who had been terrorizing Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the better part of two years was nearing its peak (a suspect has since been captured). Local authorities disavowed it at the time, stating they had no evidence to indicate the rumor was true. Nevertheless, as of November 2003 the "crybaby serial killer" tale had not only surfaced in Australia, but continued to circulate via email throughout the United States, as well.
Dismissing the claim that this "crying baby theory" was mentioned on an Australian Crime Stoppers broadcast, the organization's chief executive called it "absolute nonsense" and urged the public not to burden the Crime Stoppers hotline with useless inquiries. A New South Wales policeman interviewed by reporters concurred, labeling the story an urban myth.
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Sources and further reading:
If a Baby Cries... Don't Open the Door!
Urban Legends, 1 June 2003Email Stops Crime Stoppers
Herald Sun, 24 October 2003
Last updated: 11/03/03
