Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer - Who is Ann Burgess? Everything to know about the serial killer profiler

"Mastermind: To Think like A Killer" Premiere - 2024 Tribeca Festival
"Mastermind: To Think like A Killer" Premiere - 2024 Tribeca Festival (Image via Getty)

Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer is a captivating documentary series that highlights the significant contributions of Dr. Ann Burgess, a psychiatric nurse and professor. Released on Hulu on July 11, 2024, the series explores Dr. Burgess's groundbreaking methods for detecting criminals, which have helped police solve unsolved murder cases and prevent future homicides. The series focuses on her career, particularly her time at the FBI.

She is the creator of the method of stealing social security numbers and other personal identification details to trace murderers and other violent criminals. Apart from the FBI, Dr. Burgess was also a key figure as she stood up for the cause of women in America.


What is Ann Burgess's background?

Ann Wolbert Burgess was born on October 16, 1936. She enrolled at Boston University for her first time in nursing and then proceeded to take on her away degree in Psychiatric Nursing from the University of Maryland.

"Mastermind: To Think like A Killer" Premiere - 2024 Tribeca Festival (Image via Getty)
"Mastermind: To Think like A Killer" Premiere - 2024 Tribeca Festival (Image via Getty)

She obtained a Doctorate in Nursing Science from Boston University and specialized in the field of psychiatric and forensic nursing. Her first profession started as a calling for the psychological consequences of traumatization, which later would be the introduction to her work on criminal profiling.

The period of Burgess's career changed when she started cooperating with the FBI in the 1970s. She was involved in a partnership with well-known agents such as John E. Douglas and Robert Ressler at the Behavioral Science Unit, which, was her initial venture into the violent criminal offenders study.

It was through this collaboration that she pioneered the research in criminal behaviour, particularly serial killers and sexual predators.


How did Ann Burgess contribute to criminal profiling?

Ann Burgess, a founder of criminal profiling techniques, made groundbreaking contributions through her work. Her article "Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives," co-written with John E. Douglas and Robert K. Ressler, is a key text in criminal profiling.

"Mastermind: To Think like A Killer" Premiere - 2024 Tribeca Festival (Image via Getty)
"Mastermind: To Think like A Killer" Premiere - 2024 Tribeca Festival (Image via Getty)

It provides law enforcement with a systematic classification of sexual offenders' behaviors, offering predictive insights into potential crimes. She pioneered a victim-centered approach to profiling, enhancing the understanding of criminal psychology for law enforcement.

Her system has been crucial in solving many high-profile cases and remains essential in forensic science. Besides her FBI work, Burgess is a prolific academic, authoring over 150 articles and several books on sexual violence, trauma, and abuse. Her studies have deepened the insight into how trauma can influence a person's life and have offered suggestions for block activities for such victims.


What is Ann Burgess's impact on forensic psychology as shown in Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer?

Ann Burgess has had a lasting and profound influence on forensic psychology. Her work with the FBI laid the foundation for current criminal profiling techniques, which are still in use and continue to evolve with new investigations.

In academia, she serves as a Boston College nursing professor and has mentored many students, shaping the next generation of forensic psychologists and criminal profilers. Her teachings and publications remain essential resources, ensuring her methods and insights continue to be the basis for future research and practice in the field.

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Burgess's impact has been brought into popular culture via characters who have borrowed from her scriptures. Wendy Carr, one of the characters of the documentary series Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer, is based on Ann Burgess, thus it is shown actually to be one of the key persons who have been developing criminal profiling.

The way how the character is presented in Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer emphasizes her substantial contributions and promotes her ideas to a wider public.


Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer is available to watch on Hulu and Disney Plus Hotstar.

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Edited by Divya Singh
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