12E03 - Taboo

With Hotch and Lewis both temporarily away, Emily comes back to the BAU for extra support until their return. The first case upon Emily's return takes the team to Boynton Beach, Florida, where the dead body of a young woman is discovered in an illegal dump site, her body encased in concrete in a gasoline drum. She apparently was buried alive. Shortly after the team arrives in Florida, a second and third victim are discovered, also encased in concrete in gasoline drum, also discovered at illegal dump sites, also buried alive. Besides racial differences, the victims have in common being middle class devoted single mothers of sons, choosing what they considered safe living environments to protect their sons. Because the third victim is discovered hours after her encasement, the M.E. is able to discover more about what the unsub is doing to his victims, namely performing chemical lobotomies using concentrated chlorine injected into the nasal passage. The team will have to determine the reason for the lobotomies on these single mothers, and the reason for the illegal dump sites as the body dump sites to narrow in on the unsub.