Biological Mothers are More Likely to Murder Their Own Children Than Biological Fathers!
Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) statistics show there were 270 child homicide incidents in Australia from July 1989 to June 1999, involving 287 identified offenders and resulting in the deaths of 316 children under 15.
Despite the disproportionate amount of publicity these crimes attract when they occur, murder-suicides committed by a father are among the rarest forms of child homicide.
When AIC research analyst Jenny Mouzos crunched figures on the distribution of parents who killed children by gender and biological ties, she found biological mothers posed a more lethal risk to their own children. Biological mothers account for about 35 per cent of all filicides (about the same proportion as stepfathers and de factos), while biological fathers account for 29 per cent. (Ref: Jenny Mouzos, “Homicidal Encounters. A Study of Homicide in Australia. 1989-1999”. http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/D/5/B/%7BD5B0484B-095F-43AD-86B9-48018A78B229%7Dfull_report.pdf).
The revised 2006-07 Annual Report by the Australian National Homicide Monitoring Program stated 11 homicides involving a biological mother and 5 involving a biological father.
Child murderer Donna Fitchett. Fitchett drugged and strangled her two sons, 11 year old Matthew and 9 year old Tomas, at their Melbourne/North Balwyn home in September, 2005.