Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova was born on March 11, 1730, into a wealthy and important Russian noble family. She was one of five daughters of Nikolai Avtonomovich Ivanov and Anna Ivanovna Davydova. Darya had four sisters: Feodora, Marfa, Agrafiona, and Tatiana. Growing up in a noble household, Darya lived a life filled with privilege and opportunity.

In her early adulthood, Darya married Gleb Alexeyevich Saltykov, who was a nobleman and also the uncle of Nikolai Saltykov, another member of the prominent Saltykov family. Together, Darya and Gleb had two sons named Theodore, born in 1750, and Nicholas, born in 1751. Tragically, Gleb passed away in 1755 when Darya was just 25 years old. Following his death, Darya inherited a large estate. She continued to live there with her two young sons and a considerable number of serfs.
 

Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova was involved in numerous killings at her estate. For years, many people reported suspicious deaths of serfs on her property, but their complaints were often ignored. Saltykova had connections with powerful figures in Russian society, which helped her avoid consequences for her actions.

In 1762, a petition from relatives of the deceased women reached Empress Catherine II. This led to Saltykova's arrest and a public trial. Between 1762 and 1768, authorities conducted a thorough investigation into her estate. They questioned witnesses and reviewed records, finding around 138 suspicious deaths linked to her. Eventually, Saltykova was convicted of murdering 38 female serfs through extreme beating and torture.

Despite her conviction, the Empress faced a dilemma regarding her punishment. Capital punishment had been abolished in Russia, and she needed to consider the nobility's support. Some accomplices of Saltykova were punished with public flogging and hard labor. Saltykova herself was publicly shamed in 1768, being chained on a platform in Moscow with a sign stating her crimes. Afterward, she was sentenced to life imprisonment in the cellar of the Ivanovsky Convent in Moscow.

Darya Saltykova died on December 9, 1801. She was buried next to her relatives in the Donskoy Monastery necropolis.