To have concern over my daughters interest

[Arushandaflush]

Hi. I have yet to make my own post but I’d like some input on how to maturely deal with my current situation.
My daughter lives with her father (her decision) and is soon to turn 15.
I’m still in contact with her Father though we are separated and he tells me she spends a lot of time in her room, more than she does out. She rarely speaks to others but I know she talks to friends her age via online chat. I am not pleased about this but she is mature enough now to know not talk to strange people online.
However my worry stems from the nature of what she does all day, I’m becoming concerned to be honest. She spends all of her pocket money I send her on books about true crime and murderers. She’s gloomy 99% but then lights up whenever these topics are discussed. She seems to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of very disturbing things and I wonder where she learns them.
She has posters on her walls of Myra hindley.
I can’t do much about this since she lives with her father who doesn’t know who she is and must assume she’s a popstar or actress she likes (He’s of a non british background) but it appalls me. She prints them out with her father’s computer. She seems to have an interest in her that goes beyond fascination - she’s also asked to bleach her hair since this started a couple months back but I’ve told her no.
she’s been involved with CAHMS before and has a high functioning autism diagnosis. There’s not much I can do but talk to her but I can’t seem to get it into her head. I’m appreciative of advice right now especially those with autistic teenagers. Thank you.

@AspiringMermaid I think OP is concerned that she is trying emulate the Myra Hindley look.

It could well be a phase.

When my dd was a similar age she used to write a lot of quite (to me) disturbing stories. She entered writing competitions and did quite well. I kept staying I was waiting for a call from a teacher or adjudicatior because they were very dark. Even spoke to a teacher who confirmed thst it's quite popular around that age.

She's early 20s now and still likes to watch true crimes series etc, but it's toned down a lot.

Have you spoken to her dad about this? This is very serious and you need to both be on board and seek help

Why are people being nobs?

She's 14
She wants to look like a serial killer
She has photos of a serial killer on her wall

You lot saying you love true crime is irrelevant.

Is it that thing of it seeming like it is far enough in the past that young people just think of her like an outlaw now? If you think about the way Jack the Ripper is sensationalised, there is such detachment from the crimes.

There's the same sort of thing going on with the Bonnie and Clyde musical with teenagers I think.

Dystopian fiction is also really big among that sort of age group and has been for a long time, so I think teenagers in general do often go for darker things. Probably because they don't have enough life experience to realise how awful the things would be in real life.

Hopefully it's just a special interest like others have said and it'll burn out. It doesn't help it's everywhere at the moment — things like "Only Murders in the Building" (although it's fictional) use people making a true crime podcast as the central story.

I've always had an interest in true crime but never an interest in looking at crime scene pics and certainly never any admiration of serial killers. She's either trying to be 'edgy' or she needs to see a doctor.

Although I missed the very relevant part about autism, sorry.

Grow up.

So reprint it then, don’t troll hunt.

I would engage her in discussion about her obsession in an interested way. Does she mind MH fascinating as a case study or admiration.

Let her talk about it, perhaps watxh documentaries together. Then you can gauge if it is unhealthy admiration or just an obsession in true crime

People might be obsessed with true crime, but I doubt very much they would want to be the victim of it especially murder.