206 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.
⚠️ Warning: Viewer Discretion Advised ⚠️ The following section contains detailed information about serial killers, their crimes, and case details. Some content may be disturbing or graphic, including descriptions of violence, criminal behavior, and sensitive subject matter.
Description
See any errors? Let us know!

Lizzie Halliday: The Infamous Serial Killer

Early Life

Lizzie Halliday, born Eliza Margaret McNally around 1859 in County Antrim, Ireland, immigrated to the United States with her family at a young age. Her life was marked by a series of tumultuous marriages and criminal activities.

Marriages and Early Crimes

Lizzie's first marriage was to Charles Hopkins in 1879, who died in 1881. She then married Artemus Brewer, who also died within a year. Her third husband, Hiram Parkinson, left her within their first year of marriage. Lizzie went on to marry George Smith, a war veteran, but fled after a failed attempt to poison him. She later married Charles Playstel, but vanished two weeks later.

Criminal Activities

In 1888, Lizzie resurfaced in Philadelphia, where she was convicted of arson and sentenced to two years in prison. After her release, she became the housekeeper for Paul Halliday, a twice-widowed farmer in Burlingham, New York. They married, but their marriage was marred by Lizzie's sporadic "spells of insanity". Within two years, their house and barn burned down, and she was suspected of setting the fires. ...Read More
Victims
See any mistakes? Let us know!
Confirmed Victims: (6)
  • Charles Hopkins , Date of Death: 1881
  •     ...View 5 additional victims
    Links to Additional Sources (13)
    See any mistakes? Let us know!
    Killer's Details

    Lizzie

    Halliday

    c. 1859  Antrim, Ireland

    June 28, 1918 (aged 58–59)

    Female

    White

    4-7

    1890s

    Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane

    07/03/2025