Dorothea Puente

Dorothea Puente was an American serial killer active in the 1980s, known for running a boarding house in Sacramento, California. She targeted vulnerable, often elderly or disabled, tenants who paid her rent, many of whom subsequently went missing. Puente would drug and murder them, then cash their Social Security checks by forging their signatures or otherwise collecting their benefits after their deaths. Her crimes went unnoticed for years until authorities linked the disappearances; she was eventually convicted of multiple murders in 1988. Her case drew significant media attention and highlighted issues concerning elder exploitation and homelessness.