Waneta Ethel Hoyt

Serial Killer

Waneta Ethel Hoyt: The Murder of Five Children

Background

Waneta Ethel Nixon Hoyt was an American serial killer who was convicted of murdering her five biological children. She was born on May 13, 1946, in Richford, New York, and later lived with her husband, Tim Hoyt, in the Newark Valley area of Tioga County. Although Waneta Hoyt was a woman, reports about the case sometimes incorrectly refer to her as male. Waneta left high school during the tenth grade and married Tim Hoyt on January 11, 1964. Over the following seven years, the couple had five biological children. Every one of them died before reaching three years of age. At the time, the deaths were treated as unexplained childhood tragedies, and several were attributed to sudden infant death syndrome, commonly called SIDS.

The Victims

• Eric Hoyt: Born October 17, 1964, and died January 26, 1965, at approximately three months old. Eric died while the family was living in the Newark Valley area of Tioga County, New York. His death was initially regarded as a natural or unexplained infant death.
• James Avery "Jimmy" Hoyt: Born May 31, 1966, and died September 26, 1968, at approximately two years and four months old. He died in Tioga County, New York. James was the oldest of the five children at the time of death.
• Julia Marie "Julie" Hoyt: Born July 19, 1968, and died September 5, 1968, at approximately seven weeks old. She died in the Newark Valley area of New York while James was still alive.
• Molly Hoyt: Born March 18, 1970, and died June 5, 1970, at approximately two and a half months old. Molly experienced reported breathing emergencies and received medical attention in Syracuse, New York, before dying after she had returned to the family's care.
• Noah Timothy Hoyt: Born May 9, 1971, and died July 28, 1971, at approximately two and a half months old. Noah was treated and studied at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York, because of reported breathing problems. He later died at the Hoyt home in the Newark Valley area despite being connected to a breathing monitor.

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Confirmed Victims: (5)

Eric Hoyt , Date of Death: 1965-01-26

Waneta Hoyt - Wikipedia