Marie Fikáčková was born on September 9, 1936, in Sušice, Czechoslovakia. Her parents were German. She grew up in a dysfunctional family, which affected her childhood. Marie later married a Czech man, but the marriage did not last.

In 1955, she finished medical school in Klatovy. This was an important step in her life because it prepared her for a career in the medical field. Two years later, in 1957, she started working as a nurse in the obstetrics department at the hospital in Sušice. Her role involved caring for mothers and newborn babies.

On 23 February 1960, two newborn girls died while Marie Fikáčková was working in the obstetric department of a hospital in Sušice. One baby was just 20 hours old, and the other was 5 weeks old. An autopsy revealed that both had died from unnatural violent causes. Four days later, on 27 February 1960, she was arrested at her workplace. During her interrogation, Fikáčková confessed to killing the children. She admitted that she had cracked their skulls and broken one of their hands. She also claimed to have committed violence against a dozen other newborns, stating that they had survived her attacks.

Throughout the investigation, Fikáčková confessed to having killed at least ten babies since she began working at the hospital in 1957. She mentioned experiencing feelings of paedophobia, or fear of children, especially during her menstruation. This fear, combined with the crying of newborns, would trigger her to lash out and harm the babies. Court doctors found her to be sane but noted her tendency toward depression and uncontrollable anger.

At the trial, Fikáčková was charged and convicted only for the two murders on 23 February 1960. The court could not verify her claims regarding the earlier deaths. The hospital itself was criticized for lacking proper supervisory mechanisms to prevent such tragedies. The murders only came to light because the two most recent deaths prompted a careful examination of the bodies. No hospital officials were held responsible, and the entire situation was kept out of the public eye for many years.

Marie Fikáčková was ultimately found guilty of murder, sentenced to death, and executed by hanging in Pankrác Prison in Prague on 13 April 1961.