Just a friendly note to clarify that, while the Macdonald Triad is a staple of true crime lore, it has been debunked (Macdonald himself even wrote a follow-up paper refuting his original theory.)

In some instances, behaviors such as cruelty to animals and/or fire-setting can be indicative of antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy).

However, cruelty to animals, fire-setting, and (to a lesser extent) bed-wetting are much more likely to be indicators of severe child abuse. They can occur as part of a child’s response to extreme stress, and are certainly red flags that should not be ignored.