CSI Fans Pick The Series Most Disturbing Villain By Far

It's no secret that "CSI" is a show that often dwells in some gruesome territory. After all, the premise of the CBS procedural crime drama centers on a skilled team of forensic scientists having to venture onto some of the creepiest crime scenes. Blood-splattered walls and freshly deceased bodies are standard expectations of the job, along with filling out paperwork. And the CSI team has to deal with all this while sharing space with some of Sin City's most bizarre, horrific, and shady denizens.

Often, some of these residents serve as an episode's villain, suddenly gone right before the credits roll when the CSI team solves their cases. However, the team occasionally has to grapple with a killer so calculated and dangerous that even after they're eventually arrested, their presence is still felt among fans several years later. "CSI" has had no shortage of these unsettling killers. During its run, the TV series featured latex-clad vigilantes, a murderous judge, and even a suspect who once placed radioactive seeds in a victim's head. The villains are a new league of sadistic. But according to a Reddit poll, there's only one villain from "CSI" who deserves the title of the most disturbing.

In a Reddit poll of 151 votes, fans made it clear who they thought served as the series' top villain, and it's not even close. With a total of 108 votes, Natalie Davis (Jessica Collins), aka the Miniature Killer, dominated other potential contenders such as Paul Millander (Matt O'Toole). For some fans, her win came down to her impact on the story of "CSI." U/TTBurger88 probably put it best when they posted, "The Miniature Killer was the best arc of the show." Davis made her appearances during Seasons 7, 8, and 9 in "CSI," giving Gil Grissom (William Petersen) and his team one of their toughest challenges. Davis left a trail of victims during her arc on the show, murdered in various ways, including electrocution and poison. But what made her stand out was her particular signature of creating accurate miniature scale models of her crimes.

The scales prove her incredible skills, but remember, we're still talking about a dangerous serial killer. And Davis does an excellent job of reminding the CSI team of how deadly she is when she kidnaps and nearly kills Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) in Season 8, Episode 1, "Dead Doll." Yet if you want to grasp Davis' disturbed mind, look no further than her interrogation scene with Grissom in the preceding episode "Living Doll." Peppered with compliments about her intelligence and handiwork by Grissom, Davis erratically shifts into anger when he begins questioning her about the whereabouts of Sara. She hallucinates viciously slashing Grissom's throat, and we're left wondering if we're watching a horror movie instead of a network crime drama.

A serial killer with a penchant for crafting miniature scale models of her crimes seems like something that could only come from a show writer's imagination. However, that's only half-true. Sometimes the best sources of inspiration are from reality; believe it or not, the character of the Miniature Killer is rooted in a bit of forensic science history. Per CSI Files, the creation of Davis was inspired by a woman named Frances Glessner Lee. And no, don't worry, Lee wasn't a real-life villain. In fact, she was the complete opposite, as she pioneered research in forensics.

Considered the mother of forensic science, Lee designed a collection of highly detailed dollhouse-style dioramas called "The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death (via Smithsonian American Art Museum). The dioramas were tiny crime scenes meant to help train homicide investigators. Using the historical account of Lee as inspiration for one of the most disturbing villains in "CSI" is an astonishing twist. It also adds some meta weight to when Grissom recognizes Davis' talents during his interrogation with her. At one point, he even remarks that she would have made a perfect member of the CSI team.