One of Australia's most notorious female serial killers is living freely in the community under a new name, with neighbours reportedly unaware of her horrific past. Helen Patricia Moore, known as the 'Babysitter Killer', was convicted of murdering three infants and attempting to kill two others in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
A Chilling Killing Spree Begins
The series of tragic events began in March 1979 with the death of Moore's own 14-month-old brother, Andrew. The death was initially attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death. Relatives believed the teenager was consumed by grief, as she had been caring for the toddler at the time.
Just weeks later, on 19 May 1979, a 16-month-old relative also died from suspected SIDS while in Moore's care. The pattern continued into 1980. On 16 January, a 12-month-old boy was smothered but survived after Moore called an ambulance. Later that month, a two-year-old girl was smothered to death.
The violence escalated on 1 February 1980, when Moore suffocated a two-year-old boy with a pillow. The toddler survived the initial attack but spent two weeks in a coma. He was left permanently blind and unable to walk, eventually dying two years later from complications related to his injuries.
The Final Attack and Confession
Moore's final known attack occurred on 31 March 1980. While her mother was out, she brutally assaulted a seven-year-old relative, strangling and suffocating him before throwing his body down the stairs. She then calmly showered and called the police.
It was only after this final, fatal attack that police were finally called and an investigation launched. During questioning, the then 18-year-old Moore coolly confessed to all of her killings and attempted murders, with the exception of her brother Andrew's death. For two years, her crimes had been mistakenly recorded as unexplained cot deaths.
In 1980, she was sentenced to three life sentences plus an additional ten years for the attempted murders. However, she served just 13 years before being granted parole in 1993, with a strict condition that she never have contact with children again.
Living in Plain Sight with a New Identity
Now 63, Moore has changed her name to Helen Anderson and lives in Lake Haven on the New South Wales Central Coast. Shockingly, her brother Craig Moorely has come forward to warn the public that she has allegedly been allowed to care for children again, in direct contravention of her parole conditions.
'She is still babysitting,' Mr Moorely told the Daily Mail. 'People don't know what she did and they deserve to because she is evil. She is Australia's worst female serial killer and just going about her life having kids at her house for sleepovers.'
One neighbour, who was close friends with 'Helen Anderson' for years, described her shock when police visited her home. The neighbour had allowed Moore to babysit her grandchild and even act as her birthing partner. Police presented her with Moore's charge sheet, revealing the full extent of her crimes.
'I was in shock for about a week, couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. It made me physically sick reading what she did,' the neighbour said. Moore had previously told her she went to jail because her brother died of cot death while she was babysitting and that police 'forced' her to confess.
A Brother's Fight for Justice and Public Safety
Craig Moorely, who was just 13 when his brother Andrew died, has closely monitored his sister since her release. He claims he had to take legal action to have her placed on the Child Protection Register. He has now reported historic child abuse allegations to the police in a bid to have her returned to prison.
'I want to have her charged for historic child abuse allegations, and for the murder of Andrew,' he said. 'I want to give the evidence I wasn't allowed to back then. If she gets charged for those offences then she will go back to jail and then we are safe.'
When confronted by the Daily Mail, Moore dismissed her brother's claims, stating, 'Anything to do with children is now irrelevant. All my supervision is complete, so it shouldn't concern anyone what I do.'
New South Wales Police have confirmed they have commenced inquiries after receiving a report of historic child abuse allegations. The case raises serious questions about parole supervision, community notification, and the ongoing management of dangerous offenders released back into society.
