Summary

• Criminal Minds episodes draw inspiration from real-life serial killers and true crime, adding chilling realism to the show's stories.
• The rebooted Criminal Minds: Evolution continues to use real cases as inspiration, prompting the creation of the docies The Real Criminal Minds.
• From the Zodiac Killer to the Lipstick Killer, the show incorporates infamous and lesser-known cases, delving into the dark and disturbed minds of serial killers.

Criminal Minds episodes based on real cases ensured the show covered some disturbing crimes of any weekly procedural drama on network television. Criminal Minds focuses on the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (the BAU) and the UnSubs (Unidentified Subjects) they hunt down. The show's serial killers are often incredibly dark and disturbed, with their sinister acts made all the more chilling in the Criminal Minds episodes based on real cases — as many are. From infamous names like the Zodiac Killer to more obscure cases like the 1940s Lipstick Killer, Criminal Minds often delves into true crime for inspiration.

While Criminal Minds ended in 2020 after its 15th season, Paramount Plus brought the show back with the rebooted Criminal Minds: Evolution. Like the show's original run, Evolution has also drawn on true crime to inspire its stories. While the UnSubs in Criminal Minds are all fictional, many of their circumstances and crimes are based on real people and actual events — a fact Paramount+ capitalized on by ordering The Real Criminal Minds, which is a docies about these real-life serial killers (via Deadline).

25 “JJ” (Season 6, Episode 2)

Natalee Holloway Inspires The Case Of A Missing Young Woman

While this particular episode is often ed as the one that leads to JJ leaving the team (though her exit turns out to be brief), it also features a case involving a missing young woman. A teenage girl on vacation at the beach isn’t seen for three days, and the last time she was seen alive was with two young men who claim to have dropped her off at her hotel.

If that particular case sounds familiar, that’s because it’s almost an exact parallel to Natalee Holloway’s disappearance. In the case of Holloway, she was on vacation in another country when she went missing, while Criminal Minds still sees the young woman disappear in the United States. In both cases, there is no body, but a pair of suspects that the local law enforcement is sure did it, but they cannot prove it.

Criminal Minds, however, does have a twist in that the case remains a missing persons case instead of a murder case. While there have been numerous witness statements and a written confession by Joran van der Sloot more than 20 years after Holloway’s disappearance, her body has never been recovered. The missing young woman in the series, however, is eventually found alive, giving the character’s family a happier ending.

24 “Cradle To Grave” (Season 5, Episode 5)

Phillip and Nancy Garrido Inspire The Kidnapped Women Giving Birth

Phillip and Nancy Garrido are a real-life married couple who kidnapped 11-year-old Jaycee Duggard on her way to school in the morning, and then held her in their home for over a decade before they were caught. Duggard was assaulted and gave birth to multiple children. While the Garridos got rid of any male children born, they allowed Duggard to keep her daughters with her.

Duggard’s story has inspired a few episodes of Criminal Minds, including “Mosley Lane,” in which a married couple repeatedly kidnaps young children. The one that parallels her story the most. However, is “Cradle To Grave.”

The episode features a married couple with a dominant man and submissive woman who kidnap young, white women, that the husband then assaults repeatedly. When they give birth to girls, they are discarded, but the couple keeps the boys. While Duggard was saved, this episode kicks off with one of the young women who has been held for three years being murdered right after giving birth. They don’t line up exactly, but it’s not hard to see where the writers found their inspiration.

23 “Reflection Of Desire” (Season 6, Episode 8)

The Hill Ripper Is Comparable To Ed Gein

Ed Gein has provided the inspiration for many horror movies. A man who was controlled by a domineering mother, he kept the body of his mother in his home after she died. He also killed and mutilated the bodies of young women. His story inspired writers to create the fictional villains in the movies Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

In Criminal Minds, the man who becomes known as the Hill Ripper is actually inspired himself by Norman Bates of Psycho and references his story in the script. Rhett Walden keeps the body of his mother in his home, and he also cuts pieces from the bodies of women he kills to use.

Interestingly, this episode also has a nod to another fictional story in Sunset Boulevard. Rhett’s final scenes homage the movie in which an actress who has fallen into obscurity kills someone and then believes the police coming to arrest her are a camera crew. Rhett sees himself walking down a red carpet when he’s taken into custody.

22 “Broken Wing” (Season 14, Episode 9)

Donald Harvey Was An Angel of Death

This particular episode sees the BAU team investigate a suspicious number of overdoses at a rehabilitation facility. The episode takes a turn toward investigating the facility conning patients out of money, but it also has an “angel of death” as the unknown subject.

Angels of death are a particular type of killer who believes they are providing mercy for their victims, killing those who are already in some sort of distress. In this case, with the killer causing overdoses and poisoning his victims, he’s likely inspired by Donald Harvey, who has been mentioned on the show a few times.

Though Harvey did kill those in his life outside of work, his primary victims were killed in hospitals where he was employed. Most often he targeted elderly or terminally ill people, turning off their oxygen or injecting poison into their IVs. He was convicted of killing 28 people, but there were likely many more.

21 “A Shade Of Grey” (Season 4, Episode 21)

The Episode Has Been Compared To The JonBenét Ramsey Investigation

“A Shade of Grey” features one of the youngest killers in the entire series. A young boy kills his little brother, angry with him for continually taking his toys. Throughout the episode, however, it’s believed the boy was kidnapped by someone outside the family, and eventually revealed that the parents covered up the death because they believed their son didn’t understand what he was doing.

The events of the episode correspond with one of the civilian theories that persisted after the JonBenét Ramsey investigation. While the little girl was initially reported as missing, her body was eventually found in the family home. The crime scene was traversed by law enforcement, neighbors, friends, and reporters, making for a chaotic environment and one in which evidence was compromised. Her murder is still unsolved, but one theory presented not long after the initial investigation is that her older brother could have accidentally killed her. He, however, has never been treated as a suspect.

Rossi even makes comments about the number of people at the crime scene and how the investigation is being handled, echoing criticisms of the Ramsey case.

20 "Children of the Dark" (Season 3, Episode 4)

Gary & Ervin Robles Are Based On Two Notorious Serial Killers

"Children of the Dark" provides a disturbing exploration of the psychological trauma that fuels such gruesome acts. While not directly mentioned or referenced in the episode, "Children of the Dark" draws inspiration from the notorious serial killers Leonard Lake and Charles Ng. The episode follows a duo, Gary and Ervin Robles, who break into suburban homes, murder the parents, and leave the children alive. Like Lake and Ng, the Robles brothers are a serial killing team, family annihilators, and robbers.

Their partnership mirrors the infamous duo in several ways: both pairs included a Caucasian male and a partner of a different race, and both had at least one member who was abused by parental figures (Ng was abused by his father, while Gary and Ervin were abused by their foster parents). Additionally, just like Lake and Ng, one Robles team member assumes a victim's identity before getting arrested.

19 "The Perfect Storm" (Season 2, Episode 3)

The Criminal Minds Episode Takes Inspiration From Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka

Inspired by the notorious "Ken and Barbie Killers" Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, Criminal Minds weaves a chilling tale in "The Perfect Storm." The episode's unsubs, Amber and Richard Canardo, share eerie similarities with Bernardo and Homolka. Both pairs are serial killers, rapists, and abductors who target women, luring them in with the ruse of asking for directions. Like the "Ken and Barbie Killers," the Canardos recorded their heinous acts of rape before strangling their victims and dumping their naked bodies in convenient locations.

Amber Canardo, one of Criminal Minds' most memorable unsubs, plays a manipulative role, using her charm to draw in unsuspecting victims, while Richard becomes the dominant aggressor during their attacks. The BAU team finds disturbing footage revealing the torment inflicted on their victims, mirroring Bernardo and Homolka's recorded crimes. The episode delves into Amber's troubled past, revealing a history of trauma that transformed her into a remorseless killer. The twisted dynamic between dominant and submissive partners in crime is highlighted as Amber manipulates Richard to fulfill her sadistic desires.

18 "The Boys of Sudworth Place" (Season 9, Episode 7)

Glen Westbrook & Jerry Sandusky Have Many Similarities

"The Boys of Sudworth Place" presents a disturbing story inspired by the crimes of Jerry Sandusky. Glen Westbrook is strikingly similar to Sandusky; both were widely regarded as upstanding individuals, married with children and worked at youth facilities. Their public personas masked their predatory behavior, as both were pedophiles who targeted boys attending their facilities. They used child-grooming tactics to make the boys vulnerable before molesting them repeatedly. The episode follows the BAU as they investigate Westbrook's heinous crimes.

Despite being confronted with accusations, he maintains his innocence, denying all wrongdoing. His façade of respectability allowed his crimes to remain undetected for over a decade. The BAU uncovers the extent of Westbrook's abuse, revealing how he manipulated and exploited the trust of vulnerable children. "The Boys of Sudworth Place" serves as a chilling reminder of the evil that can hide behind a charming exterior and the devastating impact such predators can have on their victims.

17 "There's No Place Like Home" (Season 7, Episode 7)

James Heathridge Draws Inspiration From The Notorious Jeffrey Dahmer

In "There's No Place Like Home," Criminal Minds introduces James Heathridge, an unsub who appears to be based on the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer, who is directly mentioned in the episode. Both Heathridge and Dahmer were serial killers and abductors with similar victim profiles, targeting Caucasian teenage boys with high-risk lifestyles. Heathridge lured his victims to his trailer with promises of beer and sex, much like Dahmer would attract his victims to his apartment. Once there, he incapacitated them by spiking their drinks with tranquilizers.

After murdering his victims, Heathridge dismembered their bodies post-mortem and kept body parts as grisly trophies, echoing Dahmer's gruesome practices. Furthermore, Heathridge being molested by someone living in the same trailer park as him could be a nod to claims that Dahmer was molested by a neighbor during childhood. The BAU races against time to stop Heathridge before he claims more lives, revealing the dark roots of his behavior and the trauma that shaped him.

16 "Seven Seconds" (Season 3, Episode 5)

Criminal Minds' Richard Jacobs Has Many Similarities To Richard Allen Davis

In "Seven Seconds," the BAU faces a race against time to find Katie Jacobs, a young girl who has gone missing during a family gathering at a mall. The investigation reveals that Richard Jacobs abducted Katie and intended to kill her to prevent her from identifying him. His wife, Linda Jacobs, acted as his accomplice, helping to cover up the crime. "Seven Seconds" draws inspiration from the real-life case of Richard Allen Davis, the infamous abductor and murderer of 12-year-old Polly Klaas.

In the episode, Dr. Reid even directly references Davis, noting how he killed Klaas to prevent her from identifying him. Both Davis and Jacobs were pedophilic abductors who targeted young girls and had female accomplices who helped cover up their crimes. The episode highlights the chilling parallels between Jacobs and Davis, revealing how manipulation and control can distort family dynamics and lead to devastating outcomes.