Former FBI profiler Jana Monroe explains how the Behavioral Science Unit builds criminal profiles from crime scene patterns, signature behaviors, and interviews with killers. The method links cases police often miss.
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Jana Monroe spent 20 years in the FBI, much of it in the Behavioral Science Unit – the team that built modern criminal profiling. She worked cases involving Jeffrey Dahmer and the Rogers family killer. Her book "Hearts of Darkness" details the work.
Profiling starts with the crime scene. Agents look for patterns: how the killer entered, what they took, what they left. Monroe said the key is separating signature from method. Method changes as the killer learns. Signature stays the same – it's the psychological need the crime fulfills.
A killer who poses a victim's body in a specific way, for instance, is sending a message. That signature can link cases across jurisdictions. Monroe said local police often miss the connection because they only see their own crime.
The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, ViCAP, tracks these patterns nationally. Agents enter case details into a database and look for matches. Monroe said the system works best when departments actually use it – many don't.
Interviews with incarcerated serial killers also feed the profiling method. The BSU interviewed dozens of offenders to build a behavioral typology. Organized killers plan. Disorganized ones act impulsively. The profile helps detectives narrow the suspect pool.
Monroe said the hardest part is patience. A serial killer can go dormant for years. The profile holds, but the investigation stalls. Then one new victim or one new piece of evidence breaks the case.
The new Hulu series "Furious" follows these methods. It's streaming now on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
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