the great war, spencer reid [ 2 ]

017. 'til death do us part

"Let's get started." Hotch says, walking into the round table room.

"Okay. Savannah, Georgia, known for its charm and southern hospitality, though not so much for Brandy Green of Dover, Delaware, because three months ago, she came to town for a bachelorette party and after a night of bar hopping with her bridesmaids, ended up in a dumpster in a back alley."

"Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head." Derek says.

"What's that wrapped around her face?" Rossi asks.

"That would be the sash she was wearing all night that says "Bride-to-be" embroidered on it." Penelope says.

"The wrapping could be ritualistic, like a shroud of some sort." Spencer says.

"Or a sign of the killer's remorse." Tara says.

"But this happened three months ago." Derek says. "Why are we getting this now?"

"Because two days ago, the body of Ashley Wilcox of Dayton, Ohio, was also found in an alley dumpster in Savannah." Hotch says.

"And she also had blunt force trauma, but she was strangled to death with her bride-to-be sash." Penelope says.

"It's unlikely the work of the same jilted lover, since the two women lived in different states hundreds of miles apart." Rossi says.

"They could be surrogates. Any sign of sexual assault?" Tara asks.

"None on Brandy. We don't know about Ashley yet." Penelope says.

"What's interesting is the unsub doesn't care about hiding the bodies very well." Spencer says.

"Well, he'd have to be physically fit to lift the bodies into the dumpsters." Derek says.

"He could be sending a message. That to him women are trash, disposable." Rossi says.

"No, this is about marriage." Tara says. "He's taking these brides on the eve of what should be the happiest day of their lives. He wants to crush that. Their weddings have become their wakes."

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"Established in 1733, Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia and one of the south's most popular wedding destinations." Spencer informs.

"Brandy and Ashley are both low risk lifestyle victims, but their behavior the nights they were murdered was anything but." Derek says.

"Bar hopping, being intoxicated in public, getting separated from their friends, all of that would have raised their risk levels, making them easy prey." Tara says. "But I am not victim blaming here. It's entirely understandable that both women would have wanted to enjoy themselves during their last nights as single women."

"And from the unsub's point of view, the bars are target rich environments." Hotch says.

"But why pick only brides-to-be? Why not choose women a little less high profile?" Rossi asks.

"Wearing a bride-to-be sash must be like waving a red cape at a bull." Derek says.

"Actually, bulls are colorblind. So it doesn't really matter what color cape a matador waves, it's the cape's movement that elicits an aggressive charge response." Spencer explains.

"This is probably a man who had his own engagement broken off, so living in Savannah, surrounded by weddings and happy brides, it must be driving him crazy." Tara says.

"Sir, we just got a report that a third bride-to-be went missing." Penelope says. "Madison Mills, 25, from Tampa, Florida, was celebrating at a bar with her bridesmaids last night, when she disappeared. She's supposed to get married next Sunday."