timeless, spencer reid [ 1 ]

038. the uncanny valley

"Rita Stuart, 25, second victim in Atlantic City." JJ says.

"Pretty public spot for a dump site." Rossi comments.

"You know, technically, I think it would qualify more as a disposal site. You don't leave a body on a merry-go-round out of convenience." Spencer says.

"He took some time with her appearance, didn't he?" Emily asks.

"Yeah. Her nails were polished, her hair was cut, clothes were brand new." JJ says.

"Wants her to look her best when found. That's a lot of remorse." Derek says.

"Who is victim number one?" Hotch asks.

"Stacia Jackson, 29. She was found at a local playground." JJ says.

"A change in victimology." Rossi notes.

"What's the connection between these women?" Hotch asks.

"There is none. Rita was married, Stacia was single. Rita worked at a diner, Stacia was a corporate lawyer. According to their credit cards, they never came within 10 miles of each other." JJ says.

"Both women were taken two months ago?" Hotch asks.

"Yeah. They lived such completely different lives, the police didn't tie their abduction together until now." JJ says.

"Was there any evidence of sexual assault?" Spencer asks.

"There was no evidence of violence of any kind." JJ says.

"So how did they die?" Emily asks.

"Rita had a stroke, Stacia had a brain hemorrhage." JJ states.

"Look at this, the unsub gave them a battery of drugs -- atracurium, doxacurium. These are neural inhibitors." Spencer says. "They block signals from the brain to the muscles."

"He put them in medical comas for 2 months." JJ says.

"Actually, they weren't in a coma. You'd need phenobarbital to keep them unconscious, and they didn't have that." Spencer says.

"So, wait a minute, these victims were paralyzed but they were still conscious?" Derek asks.

"They could open their eyes, hear, probably even feel stimulation." Spencer says.

"Physical immobility but mental awareness. This unsub wants total domination over them." Rossi says.

"And he turns their bodies into prisons to do it." Hotch says.

+++

"Once I have the knees bent, I can get leverage under her." The M.E. says, picking the body up and putting it on the table next to Bedelia and Spencer. "Normally, an assistant helps me. But I can do it myself if I need to."

"I'm assuming the unsub would have this training, too. Let me ask you this -- is there anything specific about it?" Spencer asks.

"No. Any caregiver out there can do this -- docs, nurses, orderlies." The woman states.

"Where do you think she's getting the drugs that she's using?" Bedelia asks.

"Do you think she could be manipulating a doctor or a pharmacist, maybe?" Spencer asks.

"He'd be criminally negligent if she was."

"But it is possible. I mean, doctors order things through residents, nurses forge signatures. Prescriptions fall through cracks." Spencer says.

"That's a lot of drugs and a lot of cracks." She says. "She keeps these women paralyzed for two months."

"Your report said both of them had hair extensions clipped in." Spencer says.