Before her arrest at the age of 90 in 1928, Baba Anujka sold poisons to unhappy wives living in present-day Serbia, facilitating the murders of between 50 and 150 men.
Public DomainBaba Anujka at her 1929 trial, charged with poisoning multiple victims at the age of 90.
At the turn of the 20th century, Baba Anujka seemed like a sweet, unassuming old woman living in the Balkans. But beneath her gentle appearance was that of a serial killer who used her knowledge of herbs and poisons to help desperate women rid themselves of unwanted husbands.
Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, she was linked to at least 50 deaths in present-day Serbia, though the true number may have been as high as 150. That makes Baba Anujka, who was arrested at the age of 90 in 1928, one of the world’s oldest serial killers.
This is the story of Baba Anujka, the “Witch of Vladimirovac.”
The Early Life Of ‘The Witch Of Vladimirovac’
Baba Anujka was born Ana Draxin (or Drakšin) around 1837, in present-day Romania. Her family was wealthy. Her father was a prosperous cattleman, and Draxin enjoyed the privileges that came with his status. She was well-educated, gifted in chemistry and medicine, and spoke five languages (which wasn’t unusual in the region at the time).
When she was still a child, her family relocated to Vladimirovac, a village in present-day Serbia that was then within the Austrian Empire. There, Draxin attended private school in Pančevo, where she studied alongside children of other elite families.
But Draxin’s life changed forever when she fell in love with an Austrian military officer. Sadly, the romance allegedly ended in heartbreak when the officer abandoned her and infected her with syphilis. This betrayal purportedly fueled her growing mistrust of others.
Eventually, Draxin married a much older landowner whose last name was Pistov. Together they reportedly had 11 children, though just one survived to adulthood. After two decades of marriage, Pistov died as well.
From that point on Ana Draxin began to transform into Baba Anujka, the so-called ‘Witch Of Vladimirovac.’
How Baba Anujka Began To Kill Her Victims
Vreme/ArchivesBaba Anujka pictured with a policeman around the time of her trial in the 1920s.
After her husband’s death, Baba Anujka — “Baba” means “grandmother” or “old woman,” and “Anujka” is a nickname for Ana — built a laboratory in her home. There, Baba Anujka began to brew poisons. In one infamous case, Baba Anujka allegedly poisoned a young newlywed couple one warm night after a dance. When the duo passed by Baba Anujka’s house, she purportedly gave them a “refreshing drink,” and they died a few days later.
But many of her poisons weren’t fatal — they were meant to help people.
If a man was about to be drafted into the army, for example, Baba Anujka might give him a mild herbal concoction that would make him “somewhat incompetent, unaccountable,” so that he could avoid service, Šimon Đarmati, who wrote a book about Baba Anujka, told Serbian media.
People came to Baba Anujka for remedies for all kinds of ailments as well as advice, and she became especially popular among farmers’ wives. But her services didn’t stop at healing; they soon crossed into criminal territory. She began selling so-called “magic waters” and “love potions.” In a time when divorce was unthinkable, these deadly mixtures, often laced with arsenic and plant toxins, were sold to women who wanted to escape unhappy marriages.
Baba Anujka was assisted by another woman named Ljubina Milankov, who acted as Baba’s unofficial sales agent. In the evenings, Ljubina would gather at the well with the other women of the village. Then she would listen in on their conversations and gossip, and when someone mentioned that their husband was drinking too much or getting violent, she’d casually suggest that Baba Anujka might be able to help. As such, the reputation of the “Witch Of Vladimirovac” spread quickly and quietly by word of mouth.
Historian Mircea Maran told the BBC, “People would come to her wanting someone else to get sick, go crazy or die, and she would have a ‘cure’ for every category.”
Baba Anujka would ask clients how “heavy” their problem was, a coded way of determining the victim’s body weight so she could calculate the correct dose. Then, according to Đarmati, she would tell her clients: “After the eighth day, you won’t have any more problems.”
Indeed, her victims — mostly healthy men — usually died within a week of consuming the poison. Clients later claimed they had no idea the potions were lethal, believing instead that she had supernatural powers.
The Trial Of One Of The World’s Oldest Serial Killers
O. Janković/Grandma AnujkaBaba Anujka was found guilty, but she continuously claimed that her concoctions weren’t meant to kill anyone.
For decades, Baba Anujka avoided suspicion. Her lab remained untouched by authorities, and her poisons untraced. But her downfall began with a frequent client named Stana Momirov. After successfully using Baba Anujka’s potion to kill her first husband, Lazar Ludoški, Momirov returned. This time, she wanted to poison her second husband’s wealthy uncle.
When the two men died under similar circumstances, police grew suspicious. Momirov was arrested and eventually cracked under pressure, naming Baba Anujka as the source of the poison. By that time, it was 1928, and Baba Anujka was already 90 years old. Authorities arrested her and several accomplices, including Ljubina Milankov.
“I am collaborating with the devil, young man,” Baba Anujka allegedly exclaimed upon her arrest. “If you imprison me, you will remember me until your death. Don’t get involved with the devil’s forces.”
The police were undeterred, and the trial of Baba Anujka began on June 7, 1929. Hundreds of curious onlookers gathered outside the District Court in Pančevo to see her trial, and forensic tests on the exhumed bodies of some of her victims confirmed the cause of death was poisoning.
However, Baba Anujka refused to admit guilt. She claimed she had never sold poison, only harmless herbal remedies. At one point during the trial, with tears in her eyes, she reportedly said, “I’m not satisfied, I’m completely innocent. Kill me, I can’t take it any longer.”
Despite her protestations, however, Baba Anujka was found guilty by the court — and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
After serving only eight years, she was released at the age of 98 due to age and poor health. She lived her final two years in peace, back in Vladimirovac, where she had once secretly orchestrated dozens of murders. According to local church death records, she died on Sept. 1, 1938, at the age of 100.
Today, Baba Anujka is remembered as one of the world’s oldest serial killers — and one of the most prolific. She seemingly crafted concoctions that were meant to kill, and fatally poisoned between 50 and 150 people during her long life. But a century after her death, it can be hard to know how much about Baba Anujka’s story is true — and how much has transformed into legend.
After learning about Baba Anujka, read about Dorothea Puente, the landlady serial killer who ran a boarding house of death. Then, check out this article on the history of witches.
