A former caregiver in Guangzhou was executed after admitting to murdering multiple elderly clients in a shocking serial killing case that horrified China.
The woman, identified as He Tiandai, reportedly confessed to targeting elderly employers while working as a domestic caregiver between 2013 and 2014.
Authorities said she used methods including poisoning and strangulation to attack at least 10 elderly victims, with two attempted murders failing.
Investigators revealed the motive behind the killings was linked to money, as she allegedly wanted to collect a full month’s salary quickly even if her employers died shortly after hiring her.
One of the most disturbing cases involved 70-year-old victim He Yanzhu, whose family hired the caregiver in December 2014 to provide home care services in Guangzhou’s Nansha district.
According to family members, the caregiver had insisted before starting work that she should still receive a full month’s salary even if the elderly woman died before completing one month of employment.
Relatives initially described the caregiver as hardworking and polite during her first days on the job.
However, just two days after beginning work, the elderly woman suddenly died under suspicious circumstances.
Family members later discovered unusual puncture marks on the victim’s stomach and body before confronting the caregiver, who reportedly confessed to the killing.
Investigators said He admitted to mixing sleeping pills and pesticide into soup before feeding it to the elderly woman and later injecting the liquid into her body.
When the victim did not die immediately, the caregiver allegedly strangled her using a rope.
During questioning, He reportedly admitted she had previously targeted other elderly employers in similar ways over a one-year period.
Authorities said several earlier cases could not be formally prosecuted because the victims had already been cremated, leaving insufficient forensic evidence.
As a result, prosecutors were only able to secure charges related to the final murder case involving He Yanzhu.
According to reports presented in court, the caregiver claimed years of difficult working conditions, humiliation from employers and resentment towards elderly clients contributed to her actions.
She allegedly told investigators she believed killing retired elderly people was “helping the country save expenses”.
During sentencing in 2016, He reportedly showed little remorse and declined to apologise to the victim’s family.
After hearing the death sentence, she allegedly responded only with the words: “No appeal, no objections.”
Chinese authorities later carried out the execution following the court’s ruling.
