11. Miyuki Ishikawa
Although any murder is tragic by nature, it stings in a particular way when one hears of the murder of infant children. That is exactly what Miyuki Ishikawa was known for. With the help of several psychopathic accomplices, Ishikawa was responsible for approximately 103 infant deaths throughout the 1940s, though the number may be as high as 169.
Ishikawa was a midwife working in a maternity hospital who was responsible for many children whose parents did not have the proper financial means to raise them. So, the solution she came up with was to neglect the children entirely, letting them die a slow death in their cribs. As an incredible aside, Ishikawa and her husband even sought financial compensation from the parents of these deceased children.
By their logic, the couple saved the families the vast sum of money that it would take to raise the children, so they thought they were entitled to some of it. Ishikawa’s death toll is easily the highest of any other known serial killer in Japan, which makes the four-year prison sentence given to her by the Tokyo High Court all the more puzzling.
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