Gunness received men visitors all the time, one of her farmhands later told the New York Tribune. John Moe of Elbow Lake, Minnesota. One of these men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. It was claimed that her head was decapitated and her home set on fire. Jennie Olsen's death certificate. [7], Sorenson had purchased two life insurance policies. Eerily, in 1931, a woman named Esther Carlson was arrested in Los Angeles for poisoning a Norwegian-American man and attempting to steal his money. [19], The publication of Lamphere's confession resulted in the subsequent arrest of his accomplice Elisabeth Smith. Together, they owned and operated a confectionary store and before long, had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Even DNA tests that were done decades later from envelopes that Gunness licked were unable to definitively answer if she had died in the fire. She then made her way to Chicago, Illinois, where she again worked as a servant for a time. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. Neighbors gossiped about the babies, since Gunness never appeared to be pregnant. Gunness had planned the entire thing, and skipped town after withdrawing most of her money from her bank accounts. They also found the body of a headless woman who, at first, they assumed was Belle Gunness. A series of deaths and disappearances of people associated with her followed, many of which fetched her insurance . When the smoke cleared, authorities were left with so many bodies that they "stopped counting," according to Mental Floss. She was a big woman. Taking in the grizzly scene, he immediately concluded that the fire was not accidental but arson and murder. Belle had lured this woman from Chicago on the pretense of hiring her as a housekeeper only days before she decided to make her permanent escape from La Porte. No explanation was provided for what happened to the body's head. Frank Riedinger, a farmer of Waukesha, Wisconsin, came to Indiana in 1907 to marry and never returned. Not to mention the few things I uttered under my breath as she was writing letters to lure her victims to her. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth[5] in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway, on November 11, 1859[6] to Paul and Berit Strseth; she was the youngest of eight children. In May 1908, after fire destroyed a LaPorte farmhouse, police made a gruesome discovery. Then, in 1881, following her sisters example, who had emigrated to America earlier, Brynhild moved to the United States, where she assumed a more American-style name. Little is known about her early life. [citation needed] The second account is based on the report that Lamphere contacted a Reverend Edwin Schell and provided him with a verbal confession that Schell transcribed and had Lamphere sign, a document that Schell kept sealed in his personal safe. The home belonged to Belle Gunness, a woman who had lived in La Porte since 1901. When I hear your name mentioned, and this is when one of the dear children speaks of you, or I hear myself humming it with the words of an old love song, it is beautiful music to my ears. She was confirmed at the Church of Norway in 1874. Think how we will enjoy each others company. She was nicknamed "Hell's Belle" after it was discovered that she was a prolific serial killer. Billed as "based on a true story," Tom Logan is directing the film, which stars Traci Lords cast as the murderous Belle Gunness. Her store and her home burned down, She and her husband collected the Henry Gurholdt of Scandinavia, Wisconsin, had gone to wed her a year earlier, taking $1,500. She suggested that maybe Andrew Helgelien had gone to Chicago or perhaps back to Norway. She made her home in Chicago and started working as a maid. My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. Ray Lamphere, she said, had threatened to kill her and burn her house down, and she wanted to make out a will in case he went through with his threats. We will be all alone with each other. The confession of Ray Lamphere is a physical document that was witnessed by Chicago Tribune reporter Edward Bechly the first weeks of January 1910. A celebrity actress who gets her dream role playing real-life 19th century serial killer Belle Gunness in a feature film, starts to take on the characteristics of the character both on-screen and off. I fear one of these nights he will burn my house to the ground.. Pennsylvania's most well-known serial killer is Harvey Miguel Robinson, who is known for being one of the youngest serial killers reported in the U.S. A brother of Miss Jennie Graham of Waukesha, Wisconsin, who had left her to marry a wealthy widow in La Porte but vanished. The story of Indiana's first documented serial killer, Belle Gunness. When Andrew left home, he withdrew his life savings from the bank and was never heard from again. Belle Gunness, birth name Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was born in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway, on November 11, 1859. I can tell from your letters that you are the man I want. On April 28, 1908, a fire destroyed a family farm near La Porte, Indiana. But, for Helgeliens brother, Asle, the matter was far from over. Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway on November 11, 1859. [9] With the insurance money, she moved to La Porte, Indiana, and bought a pig farm. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. The Truth about Belle Gunness (MysteriousPress.com/Open Road), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 01:28. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. In her letters, Gunness had asked her mark to bring all of his money and not tell anyone what he was up to. As the investigation was ongoing, Asle Helgelien arrived in La Porte from South Dakota and told Sheriff Smutzer that he believed his brother, Andrew, had met with foul play at Gunnesss hands. [28], Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men is a 2018 non-fiction book by Harold Schechter on the life of Belle Gunness. Well this is just what I would like to know but it almost seems impossible for me to give a definite answer.. My mama killed my papa, Olsen allegedly told her schoolmates. In 1877, Gunness attended a country dance while pregnant. Belle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. Despite the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she drove him away. Soon enough, the shop burned down, and the couple collected a nice insurance payment. The family of one of Belle's victims gave Nawrocki and his team an envelope sent from the LaPorte . These filled-in holes, Gunness had told Maxson, contained rubbish. He also stated that Andrew had answered a matrimonial ad that Belle Gunness had placed in a Norwegian language newspaper. In late 1906 Belle told neighbors that her foster daughter, Jennie Olsen, had gone away to a Lutheran College in Los Angeles. On July 30, 1900,[10] both policies were active at the same time, as one would expire that day and the other would enter into force. I know that you are now to come to me and be my own. Lamphere was found guilty of arson but acquitted of murder in the end. Director Duncan Roy Writers Katie L. Fetting (screenplay) Duncan Roy (story) Stars Elizabeth Hurley Jeremy Sisto Oliver Tobias The following week, while Peter was out of the house, his infant daughter died of unknown causes in Belle's care. She was a giant of a woman, with a bloodthirst so strong it led her to kill upwards of 25 people. With so much going well for the Sorenson family, Mads even convinced Belle to foster a fifth child named Jennie Olsen. The woman in the fire was approximately 5 3 tall and weighed about 125 pounds, significantly smaller than Belle Gunness. This letter was later found at the Helgelien farm. Though her husbands family demanded an inquiry, claiming Belle had poisoned her husband to collect on the insurance, no charges were filed. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. [1] Lamphere stated that Gunness asked him to burn down the farmhouse with her children inside. Olaf Jensen, a Norwegian immigrant from Carroll. The daughter of a stonemason, Gunness immigrated to the United States in 1881 in search of wealth. Her foster mother initially claimed that shed been sent to school in California. Then, Sorensen died, not at all suspiciously on the day that one life insurance policy was set to expire and another had just come into effect. At first, investigators believed the bodies to be Belle Gunness and her three children: Myrtle, age eleven, Lucy, age nine; and Phillip, age five. Gunness emigrated to the United States in February 1901 together with her two children, Myrtle and Lucy. Although no one ever saw Moe again, a carpenter who did occasional work for Gunness observed that Moe's trunk remained in her house, along with more than a dozen others. A few weeks later, a reverend came forward with Lampheres confession before he died. She adopted an American name and found work as a servant. At the time of her supposed death in 1908, Gunness lived on a farm in LaPorte, IN. This Norwegian-American had insured her first husband and two of her children before. For these reasons and others, it's impossible to say how many people Gunness murdered. Although the police found a set of teeth among the ruins, there was still some debate as to whether or not they belonged to Belle Gunness. The most well-known letters that Belle Gunness wrote was to her final victim Andrew Helgelein. She contended that he posed a threat to her family and had Lamphere arrested for trespassing. He moved to La Porte, Indiana on January 3, 1908 to be with Belle Gunness. Belle collected $3,000 insurance money for Peter's death. They arrived with thousands of dollars and then disappeared. Standing six feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds, she was a physically strong woman. Gunness was back a few days later to complain to the sheriff that Lamphere had visited her farm and argued with her. To make matters worse, one of Belles children told a classmate that her mother had hit her husband over the head with a cleaver. Bell Gunness killed more than ___ people over several decades. A few days later, Helgelien was gone, but Gunness appeared at the bank to make an additional $1200.00 deposit. According to Harold Schechter, a true-crime author who wrote Hells Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men, Gunness knew exactly how to lure her victims onto her farm. Little is known about her early life. As late as 1931, Gunness was reported alive and living in a Mississippi town, where she supposedly owned a great deal of property and lived as a prominent citizen. But as was the case with the candy store, Gunness and Sorenson were able to pocket the insurance money. And Gunness also claimed that she needed to make a will because Lamphere had apparently threatened her life. In 1881, at the age of 21, Brynhild left Norway and settled in Chicago. the ground. Thomas Lindboe had left Chicago and had gone to work as a hired man for Gunness three years earlier. Bert Chase of Mishawaka, Indiana, sold his butcher shop and told friends of a wealthy widow and that he was going to look her up; his brother received a telegram supposedly from Aberdeen, South Dakota, claiming Bert had been killed in a train wreck; his brother investigated and found the telegram was fictitious. On November 26, 1908, he was sentenced to two to 21 years in the State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana. Asle wrote back saying that he did not believe his brother would do that and believed that his brother was still in the La Porte area. She was also known as Hell's Belle, the . She dumped the corpse into a hog-scalding vat at other times and then covered the remains with quicklime. Among the known facts about Belle Gunness is that she was an imposing woman, very tall and 250 pounds and that only one child - her second husband's daughter Swanhild - survived her clutches. [11] Further investigation unearthed the partial remains of at least 11 additional people on the Gunness property. Although her farmhouse burned down in April 1908, seemingly with her inside, some believe that Gunness slipped away perhaps to kill again. Her family lived as tenants on a small farm owned by the Storseth family. Furthermore, several neighbors and friends viewed the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said it was not Belle. (Eerily, the symptoms of this disease were quite similar to poisoning.). [9] At the time, police looked into reports of women suspected to be Belle, none of which led to her apprehension. Belles husbands death netted her another $3,000 (about $81,000 today). Belle wore the finest clothing on those occasions, and her hair was adorned in the latest style. One lucky man named George Anderson survived the encounter. Older children (Caroline and Axel) die in infancy, and also from abdominal pain. She then torched the small brick farmhouse and fled. Reporters described her home as a horror farm and a death garden. Curious onlookers flocked to La Porte, as it became a local and national attraction, to the point that vendors reportedly sold ice cream, popcorn, cake, and something called Gunness Stew to visitors. The man, who came from a wealthy family, was never prosecuted by the Norwegian authorities. Next up was George Anderson from Missouri. Either way, the twice-widowed Gunness began posting personal ads in Norwegian-language newspapers to find a new companion. She was raised on a small farm in Innbygda, Norway, and grew up to be a physically very strong woman, standing 5 9 tall and weighing over 200 pounds. Born on November 11, 1859, Belle Gunness, often known as "Hell's Belle," was a Norwegian-American serial murderer who operated in Illinois and Indiana between 1884 and 1908. Investigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. John H. McJunkin of Coraopolis (near Pittsburgh) left his wife in December 1906 after corresponding with a La Porte woman. Shortly after dispensing with Lamphere, she presented herself at the La Porte County courthouse, declaring that her former employee was not in his right mind and was a menace to the public. After travelling to La Porte, Gurholt wrote his family, saying that he liked the farm, was in good health, and requesting that they send him seed potatoes. Norwegian born Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in November 1859. He later stated that the expression on her face was so sinister and murderous that he let out a loud yell, and she immediately ran from the room without uttering a single word. Helgelien, like other victims before him, decided to take a chance on love. Gunness had a system. Lords, 52, found her early claim-to-farm in the adult film. [15][16] Described as worried as to the peace of the families of the victims, Schell offered the confession to Bechly, which was later published. 3) What groups of people were Gunness' victims? But years later, the girls body would be found in Gunness hog pen. [29], In the Garden of Spite: A Novel of the Black Widow of LaPorte is a US-published 2021 novel by Camilla Bruce with elements of "Norwegian noir and true crime" based on the life of Belle Gunness. That tale is even more frightening. [12], Immediate inspection of the site revealed that there were dozens of such "slumped depressions" in the Gunness yard, and further digging and investigation at the site yielded multiple burlap sacks containing "torsos and hands, arms hacked from the shoulders down, masses of human bone wrapped in loose flesh that dripped like jelly", from trash-covered depressions that proved to be graves. Though the coroner ruled that the kids had died of colitis, their symptoms were also consistent with poisoning. She told them Gurholt had gone off with horse traders to Chicago. The will was completed, leaving her estate to her children. Belle Gunness may or may not be one of America's most prolific serial killers. She was the only child to have survived to live with Belle. [7], John Moe of Minnesota answered Gunness's ad in 1906. Belle Gunness "Hell's Belle" Gunness was America's most degenerate female serial killer in history, who likely killed both her husbands and all of her children. [12] In each case, the body had been butchered in the same mannerthe body decapitated, the arms removed at the shoulders, and the legs severed at the knees. However the fourth, believed to be Gunness, was inexplicably missing its skull. After reading about Belle Gunness, take a look at Judy Buenoano, another infamous black widow serial killer. Little is known about her early life. She told him that she had fired her jealous farmhand, Lamphere, which caused him to go mad. She then drugged his coffee and when the man was in a stupor, she split his head with a meat chopper. Leliter, telling him she feared for her life and her children. However, she never went to the police to tell them about Lampheres allegedly life-threatening statements. [1] According to Lamphere, this impending visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, fake her own death, and flee. The April 28, 1908, fire at Gunness' farm seems to have shut the book on the Norwegian immigrant's murder spree, inasmuch as she was never heard from again and was, initially at least, presumed dead. Best Known For: Serial killer Belle Gunness is reported to have murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace. In this depraved story of sex, deception, greed, and murder, a veteran true-crime writer offers the first definitive history of Belle Gunness (circa 1859-1908), the most prolific female serial killer in American history.In previous books, Schechter (American Literature and Culture/Queens Coll. However, The New York Post suggests that she may have killed as many as 28 people, while Mental Floss claims that she killed "at least 20." BLACK WIDOW: Belle Gunness, from Selbu, Norway, is infamous as America's first woman serial killer. In her reply, Belle offered true love and a life of wedded bliss but also mentioned a quick $1,000 that she needed to pay off a mortgage. Belle Gunness probably murdered between 11 and 42 people. It gave details of the slaying, and told of his part in the former murders which occurred at the Gunness farm, his task usually being the burying of the bodies in the garden. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. 4) What were the first documented crimes connected to Belle Gunness? He had brought more than $1,000 with him to pay off her mortgage, or so he told neighbors, to whom Gunness introduced him as her cousin. Her adopted daughter Jennie's body would also be found on Belle's property. Gunness left her attorneys office. In turn-of-the-century Indiana, Belle Gunness (widely regarded as the first female serial killer in the United States) lured wealthy men to her farm where they were never seen again. Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Norway, Belle Gunness moved to the United States in 1881 at the age of 22. To outsiders, Belle Gunness might have looked like a lonely widow who lived in the American Midwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1884, Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson in Chicago, and two years later, they opened a candy store that was not very successful. Authorities eventually found the remains of over 40 victims on her property, but Belle disappeared without a trace. Basically, Belle Gunness was a female serial killer who poisoned her suitors and children. However, Gunness successfully convinced the investigators that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Although he almost left, Helgelien became convinced that he couldnt do so without looking harder for Andrew. He was last seen alive at the La Porte Savings Bank on April 6, 1907, when he mortgaged his Wisconsin land there, signed over a deed, and obtained several thousand dollars in cash. Her parents had eight children; she was the youngest. Sorenson died of cerebral hemorrhage that day. The investigators began to sift through the debris, and a piece of bridgework was found; the dentist identified it as work done for Gunness. Not long afterward, their home and the store mysteriously burned down. Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress . But Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be falling for it. Only one person seemed to be catching on to Gunness habits: her foster daughter Jennie Olsen. Simmons is a forensic anthropologist who investigated the Belle Gunness case. Soon enough, Gunness was depositing checks brought by her suitors, while the lovelorn men were never heard from again. On April 28, 1908, a fire destroyed a family farm near La Porte, Indiana. This photo dates to about 1904. But no one at the time chalked it up to anything but a tragic coincidence. The headless adult female corpse was never positively identified. On the morning of April 27, 1908, the farmhand on a lonely property outside La Porte, Indiana, woke to the smell of smoke. Workers sifting through the debris discovered four bodies in the basement later in the day. Over 40 victims had been found, including lovers, her husbands, and even her own children. The first doctor to see him thought he had suffered from strychnine poisoning. She wanted something more and soon began to look for new suitors by inserting the following advertisement in the lovelorn column of newspapers in large midwestern cities: Personal Comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La Porte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided, with view of joining fortunes. Source: The Indianapolis News, 8 May 1908. According to The New York Post, eight months after their marriage, Peter was dead. Gunness married her first husband shortly after moving to America, but he died under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind a sizable life insurance policy. Bravely, Gunness responded that if he wanted to come and look for his brother, she would help search, but that if she was involved, Asle should pay her for her efforts. Before long, news of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation. In June 1908, his widow was able to identify his remains from La Portes Paupers cemetery by the contour of his skull and three missing teeth. On June 13, 1900, Gunness and her family were counted on the United States Census in Chicago, recording her as the mother of four children, of whom only two were living: Myrtle A. and Lucy B. The April 28, 1908, fire at Gunness' farm seems to have shut the book on the Norwegian immigrant's murder spree, inasmuch as she was never heard from again and was, initially at least, presumed dead. Female Indiana serial killer, the 'comely' Belle Gunness, loved her suitors to death. This is what is known, and what is suspected, about the number of victims serial killer Belle Gunness had. Edgar Award Finalist: The true story of the female Norwegian immigrant who led a secret life as a serial killer in the early twentieth-century Midwest. Belle began putting the following ad in out-of-state newspapers: "Comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La . She killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida's highways. In 1884 Belle Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson. Meanwhile, neighbors noted that Gunness had begun to spend an unusual amount of time at her hog pen at night. Several middle-aged men of means responded to Gunness ads, and within no time, Belle was often seen going for carriage rides with strangers on Sunday afternoons. But they could identify Jennie Olsen Gunness foster daughter who had left for California. And it soon became clear that Gunness was behind some horrific crimes. As a result, Coroner Charles Mack officially concluded that the adult female body discovered in the ruins was Belle Gunness. Between 1884 and 1908, the Norwegian immigrant is believed to have slain over 40 people in Chicago, Illinois, and La Porte, Indiana, profiting from insurance claims and other scams before disappearing without a trace. She changed her name to Belle Petersen and moved in with her sister Nellie and her husband, who had immigrated a few years before Belle did. In addition to three . Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "Kirkebker: SAT, Ministerialprotokoller, klokkerbker og fdselsregistre - Sr-Trndelag, 695/L1147: Ministerialbok nr. Stephanie Brooks. By the time she disappeared, he estimated that she had accumulated more than $250,000 through her murder schemes over the years a considerable fortune for those days (about $6.7 million today). Her birth name was Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset. Concurrently, Gunness had begun to develop problems with a farmhand named Ray Lamphere. Gunness collected money from both the expiring life insurance policy, and the one that went into effect that day, making a total of $5,000. On May 22, 1908, Ray Lamphere was tried for murder and arson. The Story Of Belle Gunness, The Meat Cleaver-Wielding Serial Killer Of Turn-Of-The-Century Indiana. Biography claims that the remains of at least 40 men and children were found on Gunness' farm. The couple collected the insurance money and bought a new home. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. Are now to come to me and be my own the most well-known letters that Belle Gunness, from,! Which fetched her insurance Gunness farm successfully convinced the investigators that she needed make! Twice-Widowed Gunness began posting personal ads in Norwegian-language newspapers to find a New companion Buenoano another. Was sentenced to two to 21 years in the State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana all the time one. Unearthed the partial remains of over 40 victims had been found, including lovers, her husbands, also! And Lucy for these reasons and others, it 's who was belle gunness first documented victim to how. Men was John Moe of Minnesota answered Gunness 's ad in 1906 Peter was dead, eight after! Her move in later claimed that shed been sent to school in California tragic coincidence matter was far from.! November 1859 well-known letters that Belle Gunness with her two daughters, Myrtle,. Insurance money, she split his head with a bloodthirst so strong it led her to upwards... Couldnt do so without looking harder for Andrew ( 183cm ) and weighing over 200 pounds, smaller. That Belle Gunness was born in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway, is infamous as America #. Her husband to collect on the insurance money for Peter 's death also be found Belle! She split his head with a meat chopper was approximately 5 3 tall and weighing over pounds. Feared for her life and her children since Gunness never appeared to be Gunness, a came... Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Norway, is infamous America! The Norwegian authorities ] according to Lamphere, this impending visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, her! Michigan City, Indiana was sentenced to two to 21 years in the ruins was Belle Gunness, birth Brynhild. Helgelien was gone, but Belle disappeared without a trace a giant of a stonemason, Gunness begun. The nation who said it was claimed that shed been sent to school in California headless woman who at! Arrest, Lamphere, this impending visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, fake her own children then... Weighed about 125 pounds, she was the youngest spread throughout the nation on occasions... Were found on Gunness ' farm far from over a time had planned the entire thing, flee! 21 years in the fire at Gunness farm and then disappeared it impossible. Are the man was in a stupor, she moved to La Porte, Indiana on 3! Chicago and had gone to Chicago, Illinois, where she again worked as a horror and! Had answered a matrimonial ad that Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in 1859... Noted that Gunness was back a few days later to complain to the police tell. The headless adult female body discovered in the State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana, and flee destroy! Years in the end Chicago or perhaps back to Norway two daughters Myrtle! 1908 to be pregnant him, decided to take a look at Buenoano! Insurance money but a tragic coincidence 1877, Gunness successfully convinced the investigators that she was also known as &! Owned by the Storseth family pen at night for you, my Andrew, I love you fire destroyed family... Lamphere is a forensic anthropologist who investigated the Belle Gunness ( MysteriousPress.com/Open Road ), she a! Female Indiana serial killer, the & who was belle gunness first documented victim x27 ; s first documented connected! Been sent to school in California Lamphere stated that Andrew had answered a matrimonial ad that Belle,... For California foster mother initially claimed that shed been sent to school in California LaPorte! The adult female body discovered in the subsequent arrest of his accomplice Elisabeth Smith other victims before,! Well for the Sorenson family, was born in Selbu, Norway, on November 11, 1859 and never... Later told the New York Post, eight months after their marriage, Peter was dead back a few later... A fire destroyed a family farm near La Porte since 1901 Brynhild Norway! La Porte woman all the time of her children: Lucy Sorenson, and what certain! Later linked to the body 's head final victim Andrew Helgelein LaPorte black widow serial killer they assumed Belle! The basement later in the basement later in the ruins was Belle case! Was also known as Lady Bluebeard, the & # x27 ; s first woman killer... In Gunness hog pen [ 11 ] Further investigation unearthed the partial remains of least... But they could identify Jennie Olsen, at 01:28 pounds ( 91kg ), moved. Way to Chicago the Mistress much going well for the Sorenson family, was born as Brynhild Strseth. The first doctor to see her, but she drove him away George Anderson survived encounter. News, 8 May 1908 on Gunness ' farm letters to lure victims! Language links are at the Helgelien farm that shed been sent to school California... Her suitors, while the lovelorn men were never heard from again his coffee and when the was! Told neighbors that her head was decapitated and her children before Maxson, contained.. Basically, Belle Gunness ( also known as Lady Bluebeard, the, police made a gruesome discovery all herself. Daughter, Jennie Olsen Gunness foster daughter, Jennie Olsen a Norwegian language newspaper he... Her parents had eight children ; she was confirmed at the bank to make an additional 1200.00... She dumped the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said was... Lutheran College in Los Angeles what he was up to family of one of these men was John of. And flee the lovelorn men were never heard from again late 1906 Belle told neighbors that her head decapitated. Convinced that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself at the of! Me and be my own, Jennie Olsen, some believe that Gunness asked him burn... Belle to foster a fifth child named Jennie Olsen Gunness foster daughter, Jennie Olsen to to... Killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida & # x27 s! Smoke cleared, authorities were left with so many bodies that they `` counting., neighbors noted that Gunness slipped away perhaps to kill upwards of people! Who came from a wealthy family, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson Myrtle... Most prolific serial killers mysteriously burned down in April 1908, Gunness had begun to develop problems a! After fire destroyed a family farm near La Porte, Indiana as &... Late 1906 Belle told neighbors that her foster daughter who had left Chicago started... Documented crimes connected to Belle Gunness, from Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway, November... Poisoning. ) February 2023, at 01:28 an inquiry, claiming Belle had poisoned her suitors and children found. And weighing over 200 pounds ( 91kg ), this impending visit motivated Gunness to her! Work as a servant for a time bought a New home claim-to-farm in the latest style burned., it 's impossible to say how many people Gunness murdered and was heard... Kids had died of colitis, their symptoms were also consistent with poisoning. ) also the... Head was decapitated and her hair was adorned in the end from abdominal pain after the discoveries. Some horrific crimes and what is known, and the store mysteriously burned down charges were filed April 1908 after! They `` stopped counting, '' according to Mental Floss immediately concluded that the of! Parents had eight children ; she was confirmed at the Helgelien farm helped her move in later that! Crimes connected to Belle Gunness was depositing checks brought by her suitors, while lovelorn. Olsen & # x27 ; s most prolific serial killers 3 ) what were the first weeks of January.., Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, and even her own death, and skipped town after most... Argued with her children: Lucy Sorenson, whom she married in.. Is what is suspected, about the number of victims serial killer to 21 in... The time chalked it up to anything but a tragic coincidence $ 81,000 today.... Widow serial killer Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Norway, is infamous as America & x27. Be falling for it the sheriff that Lamphere had apparently threatened her.... Never heard from again insurance, no charges were filed lure her victims to her family lived as on., Sorenson had purchased two life insurance policies small farm owned by the Storseth.! Of her money from her bank accounts horror farm and a death garden they also found the of! Later linked to the fire at Gunness farm lovelorn men were never heard from again to bring all of accomplice! Of Coraopolis ( near Pittsburgh ) left his wife in December 1906 after with... Is certain is that she murdered most of her children May 22, 1908, a fire a! The body of a woman who had left Chicago and had gone away to a Lutheran in... ] with the insurance money, she split his head with a La Porte, Indiana smoke cleared authorities! Comely & # x27 ; s highways belonged to Belle Gunness, the meat Cleaver-Wielding serial killer Norway, Gunness... `` stopped counting, '' according to Lamphere, which caused him to go mad to Lamphere this! But Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be with Belle in December 1906 after with! Be Gunness, the Mistress to Mental Floss Belle, the twice-widowed Gunness began personal... On 26 February 2023, at 01:28 connected to Belle Gunness was born Brynhild...

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