Criminal Minds’ Most Disturbing Unsub Still Haunts Fans 20 Years Later

by

For eighteen seasons, *Criminal Minds* has featured many frightening serial killers. The show, which follows the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, focuses on some truly terrifying criminals, and some have even directly threatened the lives of the BAU team. From the very beginning, with the villain known as The Fisher King who targeted Hotch, Gideon, and the rest of the team, each season has introduced a new antagonist trying to harm the agents. While many of these villains are memorable, Frank Breitkopf remains one of the most disturbing, even after twenty years.

Frank Breitkopf first appeared in a particularly suspenseful episode of *Criminal Minds* during its second season. He returned in the season finale, concluding his storyline with a disturbing and personal attack on the BAU team, especially Jason Gideon. Breitkopf’s actions established a pattern for future *Criminal Minds* villains like George Foyet and Mr. Scratch, who also sought revenge against the agents who caught them. However, despite the impact and frightening nature of these later antagonists, Frank Breitkopf remained the most dangerous and unsettling of them all.

This Criminal Minds Villain Was Willing to Let Children Die

Frank was first introduced in Season 2, Episode 13 of *Criminal Minds*, titled “No Way Out.” This episode is unique because it begins with Gideon already confronting the criminal, Frank Breitkopf, before flashing back to explain how the investigation unfolded. Gideon details the steps they took to track Frank down, but Frank confidently believes he’ll escape, as he’s holding a group of kidnapped children hostage in the desert, using them as leverage.

As a big fan of the show, this twist really threw me! It completely changed how I saw Gideon and the whole BAU team’s investigation. They’re dealing with Frank, a seriously prolific serial killer who, for some reason, keeps resurfacing every year in this small town called Golconda, Nevada. The team spends a lot of time trying to figure out *why* he keeps coming back to Golconda specifically. Eventually, they start to suspect a connection to a local woman named Jane Hanratty, who a lot of the townspeople think isn’t quite right in the head. It’s a really compelling mystery!

It came to light that Jane was one of over 150 people Frank had attacked, but remarkably, she survived. After the attack, Frank developed an obsession with Jane, returning to Golconda frequently to visit her and leave unsettling gifts: wind chimes crafted from the bones of his other victims. He was particularly fixated on her because she hadn’t shown any fear during his attempt to kill her.

I remember how completely obsessed Frank became with Golconda, and that’s what drove him to do the unthinkable – kidnap a bus full of kids. He knew the BAU had connected him to Jane and were protecting her, keeping them apart. But Frank refused to be separated from her. He basically held those children hostage, trading their lives for Jane and his own escape. Gideon didn’t have any other option; he had to agree to Frank’s terms to save the kids.

In “No Way Out,” Frank escapes justice, taking Jane with him. He reveals the location of the school bus to Gideon before vanishing. The BAU manages to rescue the children Frank was willing to sacrifice to facilitate his escape. While the team successfully saves the children, the episode concludes with a sense of disappointment as one of the most dangerous serial killers remains at large.

Frank’s Return Saw Many More Innocent Victims Dying

Frank Breitkopf returned in the season finale of *Criminal Minds*, titled “No Way Out II: The Evilution of Frank.” In the episode, he specifically targets Jason Gideon, killing Gideon’s girlfriend, Sarah Jacobs, to provoke a reaction. This leads to Gideon being considered a suspect in Sarah’s murder, but the BAU team knows he’s innocent. Gideon quickly reaches out to Hotch to explain that Frank was the actual killer.

Frank is holding Jane hostage and sends a child with a threatening message: deliver Jane to him or he’ll harm everyone. Unfortunately, Sarah isn’t the only one Frank targets in his attempt to get Jane back. The BAU team quickly discovers Frank is hunting down people Gideon previously rescued. They urgently try to locate and protect these individuals, but they arrive too late to save Rebecca Bryant and Tracy Belle.

Frank deceives Rebecca by posing as Jason Gideon, gaining her trust before tragically murdering her. This act deeply affects Gideon and the BAU team, intensifying their efforts to find Jane. In the episode “No Way Out,” Gideon warned Jane that Frank was incapable of genuine connection and would eventually lose interest, but Jane didn’t heed his warning. It wasn’t long before Jane realized Frank wasn’t the man she believed him to be, prompting her to leave him and seek help from Gideon.

You know, it wasn’t just Jane who was messed up by what Gideon said – Frank was really thrown too. Apparently, once Jane joined the BAU, Frank got seriously disturbed that Gideon seemed to *know* him, to understand his patterns. And when Gideon’s predictions started coming true, that’s when Frank decided Gideon was the real target after Jane left. It’s chilling, but he kept using kids to try and get Jane back – this time it was poor Tracy Belle, and he used her to force the BAU to reunite us. It was all a twisted game to him.

This time, JJ and Reid managed to find Tracy before it was too late. At the same time, the FBI confronted Frank at the train station, where he met up with Jane. Sadly, they both jumped in front of a train, bringing their story to a tragic close. Though this episode had a happier outcome with Frank stopped and Tracy rescued, “No Way Out II: The Evilution of Frank” still ended on a sad note, as Sarah and Rebecca tragically died, leaving a lasting impact.

Frank’s Impact Eventually Led to Gideon Leaving the BAU

As a long-time fan of *Criminal Minds*, I always felt Frank Breitkopf, or ‘The Reaper,’ was one of the most terrifying villains they ever created. But his impact went beyond just being a scary unsub – he was directly responsible for Jason Gideon leaving the show. Mandy Patinkin’s departure was complicated, but it was Frank’s actions in ‘No Way Out II: The Evilution of Frank’ that really broke Jason. Seeing Sarah brutally murdered hit him incredibly hard, and combined with everything else he dealt with afterward, it just pushed him over the edge. It was heartbreaking to watch him resign from the BAU and the FBI, and I always felt Frank was the one who ultimately caused it.

Jason Gideon departed the BAU team at the beginning of Season 3, in the episode “Doubt,” leaving a letter for Reid explaining his reasons, which Reid discovered in the subsequent episode, “In Name and Blood.” He never rejoined the team and was later found murdered in Season 10’s “Nelson’s Sparrow.” While Frank’s involvement significantly affected Gideon’s life, the case also brought back familiar faces from earlier episodes.

Frank’s first victims include Rebecca Bryant, who was held captive in the Fisher King’s basement for two years. After finally escaping, she was tragically murdered by Frank as part of his revenge against Gideon. He also targeted Tracy Belle, a young woman who had previously been almost abducted by a dangerous criminal featured in a Season 2 episode of *Criminal Minds*, “The Boogeyman.”

Tracy manages to escape danger once again, but her experiences with both Jeffrey Charles and Frank will likely leave lasting emotional scars. Frank was particularly frightening – he showed no empathy for anyone outside of himself and Jane, and was willing to kill without hesitation, making him incredibly dangerous and erratic. Though other villains have appeared on *Criminal Minds*, Frank remains one of the most memorable and unsettling.

Read More

2025-10-09 06:07