Emeline Lucy Bates was born in June 1838 in Barre, Vermont, to Asa and Phoebe Ainsworth Bates. In 1857, she married Horace Meaker, a laborer, and together they had children, including a son named Almon. The family led a modest life, moving between various towns in Vermont as Horace sought employment. Emeline was described as a woman of harsh demeanor, often exhibiting a stern and unyielding personality. ​

In the spring of 1879, Emeline and Horace Meaker were approached by a child welfare worker with a request to take in Horace's eight-year-old half-sister, Alice, and her brother Henry, who were living in an overcrowded orphanage. The Meakers were offered a stipend of $400 to care for Alice, which they accepted. However, Emeline was reportedly displeased with the arrangement and subjected Alice to severe mistreatment, including beatings and starvation. ​

On April 23, 1880, Emeline decided to eliminate Alice. She instructed her son, Almon, to procure a lethal dose of strychnine from a local apothecary. That evening, Emeline and Almon took Alice to a remote area near Waterbury, Vermont. They placed a sack over Alice's head, and Emeline administered the poison by mixing it into a drink. As Alice convulsed from the effects of the strychnine, Emeline covered her mouth to silence her cries until she died. The mother and son then buried Alice's body in a nearby swamp. ​

Alice's disappearance soon raised suspicions among neighbors, leading to an investigation. Almon confessed to the crime and implicated his mother. Both were arrested and charged with murder. While both were initially sentenced to death, Almon's sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, as it was believed that he acted under his mother's influence. Emeline, however, maintained her innocence throughout the trial and subsequent imprisonment. ​

On March 30, 1883, Emeline Meaker was executed by hanging at the Vermont State Prison in Windsor County, making her the first woman to be legally executed in Vermont. Her final words were a proclamation of her innocence, asking for divine forgiveness for those involved in her execution. Notably, none of her family members attended the execution, and her husband and children declined to claim her body for burial. ​