The Skull Tattoo Man to William Taylor as part of his ruse to abduct his daughter. Just wanted to let you know your taillight is out.
The Skull Tattoo Man is the secondary antagonist of the Criminal Minds episode "Awake".
He is, named solely for the distinctive skull tattoo on his hand, a child killer. As a result of abducting and killing William Taylor's daughter, this man is responsible for Taylor's killing spree.
He was portrayed by Troy Jones.
Biography
Early life
Very little is known about The Skull Tattoo Man, including his name, his kill count, or even the motive behind his murders. What is known is that he preys upon young girls, and typically abducted and killed them at rest stops using a ruse. He would approach a car with an adult in it and knock on their window, telling the adult that their tailight is out. If the man was able to see a young girl in the car, he would walk off and wait until the parent was distracted, allowing him to abduct and kill the child. William Taylor's daughter Tatiana fell victim to this man while William was asleep. After her body was found, William underwent a psychotic break, believing his daughter to still be alive and held captive by the Skull Tattoo Man. He then began abducting, torturing, and murdering men who visited the rest stop where his daughter was abducted.
"Awake"
The BAU never investigates The Skull Tattoo Man in the episode, as when they uncover William and his backstory they come to same conclusion as the authories who investigated the abduction did, that he does not exist and was merely invented by William in his fatigued state at the rest stop. However after the case has concluded, SSA Tara Lewis and SSA Aaron Hotchner both speculate about the possibility of the man being real, since it is unlikely that Tatiana could have wandered to where her body was found on her own. The episode then fades to a scene where a mother and her young daughter are sitting in a parked car at a rainy rest stop. A man approaches the vehicle, catching the woman off guard, and he tells her tailight is out. This allows him to see the young daughter, and we see this man has a skull tattoo on his hand, meaning the man who killed Tatiana was real and he has chosen his next victim.
Trivia
- The unnamed killer appears to be inspired by the still-unidentified “Flat Tire Killer”, a serial killer of women in Florida with a distinct signature of at least a few women having flat tires in their cars at the scenes of where they were murdered or even last seen alive.
External Links
Skull Tattoo Man on the Criminal Minds wiki.
