TheCSIfranchise has incorporated many serial killers into their stories over the years.CSI: Crime Scene Investigationhad twenty-nine of them over its fifteen seasons. While they make for compelling television, the thought that the Las Vegas crime lab would be investigating nearly two serial killers a year is a bit far-fetched. Actually, a lot far-fetched. The FBI estimates that only1% of all homicides annually are the result of serial murder. While the likelihood of so many serial killers striking in one jurisdiction may not be based in reality,CSI’sserial killer narrativesadded terrifying interest to their already gripping crime-solving. There werea lot of terrifying serial killers throughoutCSI’s tenure, but one that remains at the top of the list is the “Miniature Killer.”
What makes Natale Davis (Jessica Collins), a.k.a. the “Miniature Killer,” so terrifying is multi-faceted. For one, she is a young woman, which is rare in a serial killer. Whilethere have been female serial killersthroughout history,they account for between 5-7 % of serial killers. Not only that, but most female serial killers tend to be motivated by financial gains and tend towards less violent means of murder, like poisoning.Natalie defied the generalities, changing her method of murderin each scenario and not shying away from violent acts. She also left a calling card at each murder, a perfect model of the crime scene. Talk about creepy!
The other thing that madeCSI’s"Miniature Killer" so terrifying is that there was no hint of the killer’s identity until Season 7, Episode 24. Natalie had been murdering people, and the team had been investigating the crimes since Season 7, Episode 2,but the murders remained unsolved. So, while her story remained in the background, it was always present, and when her identity was finally revealed, along with her tragic backstory, it was a shock to the system, to say the least. But probably themost terrifying thing about Natalie is that she attacked Sara Sidle(Jorja Fox) and brought her into her murderous game. Natalie’s narrative spanned several seasons, and her abduction of Sara ended Season 7 with a monumental cliffhanger.
CSIis a procedural franchise of American television series created by Anthony E. Zuiker. The first threeCSIseries follow the work of forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious deaths, while the fourth series,CSI: Cyber, emphasizes behavioral psychology and how it can be applied to cyber forensics.
The story of Natalie Davis is a tragic one. She lost her mother at the age of six,which would be traumatizing for any child.She had a younger sister, Chloe, who, in Natalie’s mind, got the majority of the attention from their father, especially after the death of their mother. In Season 7, Episode 24, it is revealed that Natalie pushed her sister out of their tree house, resulting in Chloe’s death at the age of four. Her father cleans the blood from the “accident” with bleach,leading Natalie to form a mental link between murder and the smell of the chemicals. Natalie’s father, though he may have had his suspicions, doesn’t know that Natalie pushed Chloe, but in his extreme grief, he decides to give Natalie up because he feels he can’t take care of her. Natalie is adopted by Ernie Dell (Dayton Callie) and his wife but moves into foster care when Ernie’s wife dies. They keep in touch, and Ernie shares his love of model-making with Natalie.
Natalie starts working as a house cleaner, where she comes into contact with her first victim, Izzy Delancey (Danny Bonaduce). She kills washed-up rock star Izzy with a blow to the back of the head with a marble rolling pin while he is eating his breakfast. She left a perfect model of the scene, accounting for every detail. Her second victim is a retired cocktail waitress who has terminal cancer. Each time, she leaves a model, and each time, the CSI team has no idea who they are chasing. When she asks her adopted father, Ernie Dell, to drop off a model at a crime scene after having to tweak it due to the method of death changing, theCSI team begins to suspect Ernie. He confronts Natalie and finds out she did, in fact, murder several people. In an attempt to prevent the team from discovering Natalie’s identity, Ernie commits suicide on video after admitting to the murders, which he sends to Gil Grissom (William Petersen).
It seems as though the case of “The Miniature Killer” is all wrapped up, but when Natalie sends a model to the crime lab after Ernie’s death, the team knows the killer is still out there. This time, Natalie goes after a psychiatrist who presumably treated her at some point in the past. Themodel Natalie sent to the crime lab was a future depiction of the doctor’s death. In an attempt to prevent the doctor from being killed, the CSI team tries to plant an officer in the doctor’s place, but she is killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, which Natalie engineered. All this time, Natalie is never revealed. It isn’t until the last episode ofCSISeason 7 that we see who thisbrilliant killer is and start to understand the deep-rooted psychological traumathat led her down such a murderous path.
“The Miniature Killer” Went After ‘CSI’s Sara Sidle
Some mental break has induced all the killings perpetrated by Natalie, likely connected to her sensitivity to bleach. But when she abducts Sara Sidle, it’s different. We finally see who “The Miniature Killer” is in the final episode ofCSISeason 7. Natalie is an unassuming young woman. She isa bit of a reclusive loner, obsessed with her model-building hobby, but there isn’t anything particularly terrifying about her. That is what is so unsettling. She seems like any other young woman, butunderneath it all, she harbors a terrible past and murderous intent.
When Natalie’s adopted father, Ernie Dell, commits suicide, she holds Grissom responsible. While at one of the crime scenes, Natalie sees how Grissom interacts with Sara and knows they are romantically involved. In an attempt to hurt Grissom, Natalie engineers the abduction of Sara. She delivers a model to the crime lab, and once the CSI team pieces together Natalie’s identity, she is arrested. Grissomattempts to find out what happenedto Sara, andNatalie reveals that she didn’t murder Sara.The model shows Sara pinned under a car in the desert. When Grissom sees the weather forecast, he realizes Natalie intends for Sara to drown under the vehicle when torrential rains hit Vegas.
The details of the abduction are depicted inCSISeason 8, Episode 1 through flashbacks. The episode ends with a badly injured Sara finally found by the CSI team and airlifted to the hospital. With Natalie unfit to stand trial, she is taken for treatment at a mental hospital. In Season 9, Episode 7, Grissom visits a regretful Natalie, and he finds a model made of soap depicting a person who looks a lot like Natalie being hung. The episode never clarifies ifNatalie kills herself, but that is the implication.
CSI’s"Miniature Killer" isn’t terrifying in a traditional sense, and perhaps she is more tragic than scary. Natalie had been diagnosed as psychopathic, and while most people with similar diagnoses do not turn to murder, her sad past and lack of nurturing resulted in a tendency towards violence. Her character is unsettling because she seems like any other young woman. Looking at her, you would not suspect she harbored murderous intentions. It’s that unassuming demeanor that is particularly frightening. Younever know if the seemingly average person next door is actually amurderer hiding in plain sight, and that is what makes Natalie so chilling.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigationis available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
