Factual error: The train car in which Elle and the other passengers are held hostage is supposed to be an Amtrak type long distance railroad car traveling from El Paso to Dallas, yet on the inside of the car we can see a large poster showing the Washington, DC Metro system map.
Factual error: In the episode, the case is handled locally by the Wilmington Police Department. In reality, Wilmington Police only operate within city limits. Based on the suburban locations pictured, this case would more likely be handled by Delaware State Police or New Castle County Police.
A Real Rain - S1-E17
Factual error: When BAU walks up the stairs on the way into the courthouse the first time, the John Ferraro building in Los Angeles is visible in the background. They are walking up the stairs toward Los Angeles City Hall. The episode takes place in New York.
Factual error: In this episode Gideon mentions Andrei Chikatilo, and says that he lived in Ukraine (and that this is why he remained uncaught for so long). While Chikatilo was born in Ukraine, he lived in Russia for most of his life, and all of his murders happened here. An expert like Gideon should not make this kind of mistake.
Empty Planet - S2-E8
Factual error: This episode takes place in current Seattle today (no illusions of a "Seattle in this fantasy world") including using Google earth as a means of identifying a specific area of action. But all the street signs in this episode are blue where as all street/interstate signs in Washington State are green with white letters.
Empty Planet - S2-E8
Factual error: In the opening sequence a bomb is detonated on a bus in Seattle, in the vicinity of the Seattle Center/Space Needle. Right after the explosion, as people are moving towards the now smoking bus you can see a palm tree in the background. There are no large palm trees in metropolitan Seattle and absolutely none in this area.
No Way Out - S2-E13
Factual error: Gideon says that Frank is the most prolific serial killer ever, with 177 victims. This is incorrect - Pedro Lopez murdered 350+ young girls and Luis Garavito murdered 300+ plus girls.
Factual error: Reid says that it's been speculated that Mary Jane Kelly was murdered in a flat rented by the killer - this is completely incorrect. She was murdered in her rooms, where she'd been living since early 1888.
Factual error: In the scene where the two unsubs are in the restaurant choosing the next victim, the family they are watching is a Hispanic family that breaks from speaking English for two lines to speak in Spanish. The father asks where the daughter is going, and she answers, "A lavar mis manos," which means to wash my hands. This is incorrect. In Spanish, you would say this as "A lavarme las manos."
Factual error: When Garcia asks Reid about the IP address of one of the victims father's computer he says "374.54.12.3." On screen also the IP address of the router can be seen which reads "192.3.16.7894. Neither is possible. The numbers in any IP address can only range between 0 and 255, since they are actually 4 groups of 8 bits each. (00:10:45)
Factual error: Morgan is following a suspect into the subway tunnels. As he is coming around a corner, you can see the tracks behind Morgan. The tracks are three straight pieces of track making a corner. There is no way a train can make a corner on straight tracks. There should have been curved tracks.
Factual error: They were talking about serial killers having kids on the plane at the end. Hotel said, Manson had 10 or 11 children. Charles Manson only had 3 sons.
Exit Wounds - S5-E21
Factual error: The BAU is called in to assist the Sheriff's Dept. in Franklin, Alaska (a made-up town, although there is a ghost town by that name). By statute, Alaska has never had any Sheriffs. Functions filled by sheriffs elsewhere fall mostly under the auspices of the Alaska State Troopers. Other law enforcement is by community or (rarely) borough which is what Alaska has instead of counties.
Factual error: While JJ and Will might have exchanged "commitment vows" with a willing officiant, they could not have actually married in the time frame given for multiple reasons. The bank robbery occurred on a Saturday and the proposal was that evening at the hospital, with a stated intention to go down to the court Monday to wed. Instead, Rossi and Will set it up for the next evening, which was Sunday. The following is taken from Washington, D.C.'s marriage information site: 1) the court offices that issue licenses are only open M-F; 2) there is a mandated three day waiting period between obtaining the license and performing the ceremony; 3) there is a ten advance notice required to arrange a civil ceremony through the court office. Therefore, the earliest they could be legally wed would be on Thursday with a license and a private ceremony, while a civil ceremony would actually have taken an additional week. As for JJ's "lets get married tonight", I can't see any hospital chaplain obliging.
Factual error: The story is happening in Miami, Florida. Many shots show cars and the bad guys' truck with license plates in the front. In Florida cars don't have plates In the front.
Factual error: The flashback shown is from 1978, when Virginia license plates had six characters, however the license plate shown on the car is the current version with seven characters. (00:37:00)
Factual error: Rossi recognizes a "typical Dutch gesture" The suspect hits his forehead with his hand and then moves it towards another person, saying that the person is "crazy" This gesture is German. In the Netherlands we use a different gesture. We point to our forehead with our index finger and then point at the person we think is crazy, with that same finger.
Factual error: Violet is seen wearing Hood style flip-flops where there is a denim like covering just beyond the sandal straps, but this scene takes place in 2001, 12 years before those shoes were available.
Suggested correction: It actually looks like she is wearing wide leg jeans which cover her feet and shoes giving that illusion.
Factual error: Agents are staking out a suspect in Boynton Beach, Florida. A truck approaches and they can see the license plate on the front of it. There are no front license plates in Florida. Only rear.
