This innocent little girl grew up to be the most evil woman in history

On the surface, during her early years, she appeared to be an ordinary British girl—sweet, innocent, and perhaps a bit shy. However, behind that unremarkable exterior lay a developing psychological darkness that would eventually shock the entire world. Today, looking back at her childhood photographs, one cannot help but feel a chilling sense of dread, seeing the “monster” in its most deceptive, infantile form.

The Foundations of a Twisted Mind

When criminologists and forensic psychologists examine the life of a serial killer, they almost always return to the formative years. While millions grow up in difficult circumstances without becoming murderers, the case of Myra Hindley shows how trauma, neglect, and domestic volatility can warp a young mind.

Born on July 23, 1942, in the Gorton area of Manchester, Hindley’s life began in the shadow of World War II. Her mother, Nellie, was a laborer, and her father, Bob, was an aircraft fitter who spent the first several years of Myra’s life serving in North Africa, Cyprus, and Italy. This long absence meant that Myra grew up without a father figure during her most crucial developmental years.

When Bob returned, the domestic situation turned toxic. Living in a cramped, rundown home, Myra was forced to sleep in a single bed placed directly next to her parents’ double bed. This proximity meant she was a direct witness to her father’s descent into alcoholism and the brutal physical and verbal abuse he inflicted upon her mother. The violence became so severe that Myra was eventually sent to live with her grandmother, Ellen. She would often flee her home whenever a new bout of violence erupted.

Despite the resentment she held toward her father, she later admitted that he shaped her “warrior” mentality. At age eight, after a local boy scratched her face, her father threatened to beat her himself if she didn’t fight back. Following his orders, she tracked the boy down and delivered a series of punches. She would later reflect on this moment with pride, calling it her “first victory.”

The Turning Point: Tragedy and Isolation

In the summer of 1957, an event occurred that Myra believed fundamentally changed her character. She had a close friend, a 13-year-old neighbor named Michael. One afternoon, Michael invited her to go swimming at a local reservoir, but she was unable to go. That evening, she received the news that Michael had drowned.

The guilt was overwhelming. She blamed herself for not being there to save him. In an attempt to find spiritual redemption, she turned toward Roman Catholicism and received her first Holy Communion in 1958. However, this religious phase was short-lived. As she transitioned into her teenage years, she began to display a “dark streak.” She took up judo lessons and became known for a terrifyingly stubborn grip; she simply refused to let go of her opponents, even after the match was over.

The Meeting with Ian Brady: A “Fatal Attraction”

In late 1959, while interviewing for a typist job at a chemical firm, Myra met Ian Brady. The connection was instantaneous and, in her own words, a “fatal attraction.” Brady was a nihilist who worshipped the writings of the Marquis de Sade and was obsessed with the concept of the “perfect murder.”

Brady began a systematic process of grooming and brainwashing Hindley. He mocked her Catholic faith, beat her, and humiliated her, while simultaneously feeding her a diet of extremist philosophy and Nazi ideology. They began to view themselves as “supermen,” intellectually and culturally superior to the working-class people around them. Brady famously told her, “I want to commit the perfect murder,” and Myra became his most devoted disciple.

The Moors Murders: A Reign of Terror

The murders began on July 12, 1963. The methodology was cold and calculated. Hindley would drive a van, acting as the “lure” because children and teenagers trusted a woman more than a lone man.

Their victims included:

1. Pauline Reade (16): Lured with a story about a lost glove. Brady murdered her on Saddleworth Moor while Hindley waited in the van.
2. John Kilbride (12): Abducted from a market and murdered on the moors.
3. Keith Bennett (12): Abducted while on his way to his grandmother’s house. His body has never been found, despite decades of searching.
4. Lesley Ann Downey (10): Lured to Hindley’s home. The pair recorded the child’s screams and pleas for mercy on a tape recorder—evidence that would later haunt the courtroom.
5. Edward Evans (17): Brutally killed with a hatchet in Hindley’s living room.

The Arrest and the “Peroxide” Legacy

The killing spree ended only when Hindley’s brother-in-law, David Smith, witnessed the murder of Edward Evans. Horrified, Smith went to the police. Officers, disguised as delivery men, raided the home on Wardle Brook Avenue and found the evidence of a lifetime of depravity.

The 1966 trial was a national sensation. Hindley’s mugshot—featuring her defiant stare and bleached peroxide-blonde hair—became the definitive face of evil in the United Kingdom. She was dubbed “the most evil woman in Britain.” Despite her later claims that she was a victim of Brady’s influence, the evidence showed she was an active and willing participant in the sexual assaults and murders.

Final Years and Death

Hindley was sentenced to life in prison. She spent the next 36 years attempting to appeal her sentence, claiming she had reformed and found God again. However, the public’s hatred remained so strong that no Home Secretary would risk releasing her.

Myra Hindley died in prison in 2002, at the age of 60, from bronchial pneumonia. Ian Brady died 15 years later in a psychiatric hospital. To this day, the image of Myra Hindley remains a symbol of the ultimate betrayal of the “maternal” or “feminine” instinct, and the mystery of Keith Bennett’s final resting place continues to haunt the British moors.