Belle Gunness may or may not be one of America's most prolific serial killers. My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. Gunness, a butcher by profession, and Belle were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902. She married her first husband, Mads Sorenson, three years later in 1884. . Four bodies were found inside the house the headless corpse of a woman and three children. A hired man named George Bradley of Tuscola, Illinois is alleged to have gone to La Porte to meet a widow and three children in October 1907. Meanwhile, Asle Helgelien had read about the fire in the newspaper. Several more unexplained deaths followed, including the infant daughter of her new husband, Peter Gunness, followed by Peter Gunness himself. Belle Gunness BrynhildPaulsdatterStrseth, later known as Belle Gunness, was born on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway and died April 28, 1908 in La Porte, Indiana. 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. 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. In 1906, Belle Gunness connected with her final victim. But he awoke one night to a terrifying sight Gunness leaning over his bed as he slept. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. Olaf Jensen, a Norwegian immigrant from Carroll. Wikimedia CommonsBelle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway on November 11, 1859. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. As they began turning the earth, they found four bodies- skillfully sliced apart and wrapped in oilcloth. A hired man from Ohio, age 50, name unknown, is alleged to have disappeared, and Gunness became the heir to his horse and buggy. Dont tell a soul.. Gunness received men visitors all the time, one of her farmhands later told the New York Tribune. Soon enough, Gunness was depositing checks brought by her suitors, while the lovelorn men were never heard from again. Years after Gunness supposed demise, rumors surfaced that she may have faked her own death to escape potential capture. 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. Another report in 1931 suggested that she may have been a woman known as Esther Carlson, who was arrested in Los Angeles, California, for poisoning August Lindstrom, a Norwegian-American man, on February 9, 1931, for his money. Belle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. Meanwhile, neighbors noted that Gunness had begun to spend an unusual amount of time at her hog pen at night. In response to her letter, Helgelien rushed to her side in January 1908. When they finally discovered his destination, they wrote to her, and she promptly responded, saying she had never seen their father. Belle with three of her children, likely Myrtle, Lucy, and Philip. Sorenson died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. Though the coroner ruled that the kids had died of colitis, their symptoms were also consistent with poisoning. I think of you constantly. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. The investigators began to sift through the debris, and a piece of bridgework was found; the dentist identified it as work done for Gunness. 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. Little is known about her early life. Ray was deeply in love with Gunness and performed any chore for her, no matter how gruesome. Anderson had come to the Gunness farm from Missouri with money and a hopeful heart. [6] When Lamphere was arrested, he was wearing John Moe's overcoat and Henry Gurholt's watch.[7]. Meanwhile, a man named Asle Helgelien had found correspondence between his brother, Andrew, and Gunness. Belle Gunness, birth name Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was born in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway, on November 11, 1859. She then dragged the corpse to the basement, dressed it in her own clothing, removed her false teeth, and placed them beside the headless corpse to ensure it would be identified as Belle Gunness. 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. She was nicknamed "Hell's Belle" after it was discovered that she was a prolific serial killer. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. If you're curious to learn more about her, read on to discover the . 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 the early 20th century, Belle Gunness killed scores of men for their money. Their life together seemed to be marked by tragedy. Thomas Lindboe had left Chicago and had gone to work as a hired man for Gunness three years earlier. Initially, authorities found the remains of an adult woman and three children and quickly concluded that they belonged to the homeowner, a Norwegian immigrant known as Belle Gunness and her three foster children. The pair had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. [citation needed][14] However, a separate newspaper published a story with speculation regarding the second Lamphere confession. At this time, Belle started to have problems with her farmhand, Ray Lamphere. Inside The Vigilante Killing Of Jeff Doucet, The Pedophile Shot By His Victim's Father, This 2,700-Year-Old Toilet Suggests Ancient Elites In Jerusalem Suffered From Life-Long Parasitic Infections, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Frank Riedinger, a farmer of Waukesha, Wisconsin, came to Indiana in 1907 to marry and never returned. Then, Joe Maxson came forward with information that could not be ignored. [1] According to Lamphere, this impending visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, fake her own death, and flee. At the time, forensics was in its infancy, and the bodies had been so mutilated that there was little hope of identifying them. FlickrThe farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. An unknown man and woman are alleged to have disappeared in September 1906, the same night Jennie Olson went missing. According to The New York Post, eight months after their marriage, Peter was dead. Had Belle Gunness committed . T.J. Tiefland of Minneapolis is alleged to have come to see Gunness in 1907. [21], After Gunness' crimes came to light, the Gunness farm became a tourist attraction. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. The author wound her longtime interests in vintage crime and women's history into a novel that's largely from. I fear one of these nights he will burn my house to the ground.. Elliot Leyton. Three were identified as her foster children. But no one at the time chalked it up to anything but a tragic coincidence. From 1884 to 1908, it's believed that Belle Gunness killed, at least, 14 people. When he was just 18, Robinson went on a violent killing spree, during which he killed three young women and seriously injured two. the ground. She got away without a trace and it's still a mystery as to where she went today. A couple of months later, Maxson awoke in the early hours of April 28, 1908, smelling smoke in his room on the second floor of the Gunness house. Gunness, the youngest of 8 children, grew up on a cotter's farm in Innbygda, Selbu. Then, in December 1907, Andrew Helgelien, a bachelor farmer from Aberdeen, South Dakota, wrote to her and was warmly received. The First victims. In December 1902, Peter himself met with a tragic accident. According to Belle, he was struck on the head when a sausage-grinding machine had toppled off a high shelf in the kitchen. A series of suspicious fires and deaths (mostly resulting in insurance awards) followed. It was reported that both the boat and carriage houses burned to the ground shortly after she acquired the property. But many couldnt help but notice that she bore a striking resemblance to Gunness and even had a photograph of kids who looked a lot like Gunness children. The next thing she knew, her husband was dead. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with a personal visit. Furthermore, several neighbors and friends viewed the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said it was not Belle. Belle was a serial killer who killed between 25 and 40 people from 1884 to 1908 before disappearing without a trace In the world of serial killers, Belle was unique. Either way, the twice-widowed Gunness began posting personal ads in Norwegian-language newspapers to find a new companion. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. Helgelien became even more convinced of foul play when he went out to the ruins of Belles home and watched as the men digging for her head turned up eight mens watches, assorted bones, and human teeth instead. 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. They had four children together but two allegedly died of acute colitis. At age 14, Gunness began working for neighboring farms by milking and herding cattle to save enough money for passage to New York City. Her adopted daughter Jennie's body would also be found on Belle's property. An autopsy was considered unnecessary because the death was not thought suspicious. Though estimates vary widely, Belle Gunness is believed to have killed at least a dozen people (and possibly upwards of 40) between 1884 and . Who wrote Hunting Humans: The Rise of Modern Multiple Murder. On-site was County Sheriff Albert Smutzer, who had heard about Lampheres alleged threats. . The home belonged to Belle Gunness, a woman who had lived in La Porte since 1901. Strangely, tragedy seemed to return to Belle Gunness doorstep yet again. She would spike their coffee, bash their heads in, cut up their bodies, and put them in sacks, he explained. She also posted ads in lovelorn columns to attract wealthy bachelors. 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. [7], Peter died eight months later due to a skull injury. All Rights Reserved. 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. Four bodies were found at the Gunness farm. In 1893, Belle met and married Mads Sorenson. Harvey's first-known victim died in 1970, and it wasn't until 1987 that he pleaded guilty to killing 37 people most of whom he murdered while working in Cincinnati and London, Kentucky . One of the bodies belonged to Andrew Hegelian. He pled innocent to all charges, his defense hinging on the assertion that the body was not Gunness. Adopted daughter Jennie Olsen. . Lords, 52, found her early claim-to-farm in the adult film. The former handyman also stated that Belle had become a very rich woman. John H. McJunkin of Coraopolis (near Pittsburgh) left his wife in December 1906 after corresponding with a La Porte woman. Sure, she came with dreams of getting together a bunch of money for herself, but her methods for getting that money were devious and deadly. 40. But, when the coroner looked at the body, he allegedly muttered: This is a case of murder.. A watch corresponding to one belonging to Gurholdt was found with a body. For starters, she was a woman. Biography claims that the remains of at least 40 men and children were found on Gunness' farm. In May 1908, after fire destroyed a LaPorte farmhouse, police made a gruesome discovery. The two once apparently had a relationship, but Lamphere had left in a jealous rage after Helgelien arrived. And shortly after he arrived, Gunness killed him and buried his dismembered body in her hog pen, alongside other corpses. Her actual fate is unconfirmed. Bell Gunness killed more than ___ people over several decades. Afterward, the locals said that Brynhilds personality drastically changed. "[12], Ray Lamphere was Gunness' hired hand and on-and-off lover. Workers sifting through the debris discovered four bodies in the basement later in the day. In 1881, at the age of 21, she moved to the United States in search of wealth and gave herself the Americanized name of Bella (Belle) Petersen. What followed were a series of insurance frauds and crimes, escalating in size and danger. What's even more terrifying is that Gunness was never properly caught or discovered. One of these men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. Lamphere was arrested and charged with murder, with his cries of innocence falling on deaf ears. Gunness deflected. Gunness was back a few days later to complain to the sheriff that Lamphere had visited her farm and argued with her. The farmhouse had belonged to Belle Gunness, at the time simply believed to be a widowed Norwegian immigrant but now infamous for being one of the most prolific female serial killers in the United States. Answer: Chicago, Illinois Belle and Mads were married in 1884. 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. 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. The number murdered was estimated to be as many as 40. Lamphere ended up in prison because of his connection to Gunness and the fire on her farm. Also unclear is how many victims Gunness had killed. Christie Hilkven of Dovre, Wisconsin, sold his farm and came to La Porte in 1906. Think how we will enjoy each others company. Standing six feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds, she was a physically strong woman. Wikipedia, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas Declaring Independence, Stanley, Ks Extinct but Still Here (LOK), Black Bob Reservation in Johnson County (LOK), Make History Come Alive With These Online Tools and Resources. Before long, news of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation. 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. Also counted was an adopted 10-year-old girl, identified as Morgan Couch, but who was later known as Jennie Olsen. He quickly jumped out of bed and threw on his clothes. Andrew Helgelien and discovery of multiple graves, "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (. It read: To the Dearest Friend in the World: No woman in the world is happier than I am. Initially, the bodies were believed to be Belle and her children, Myrtle (age 11), Lucy (age 9), and Phillip (age 5). [6], After the fire at the Gunness homestead led to the discovery of bodies believed to be Gunness and her children, La Porte police authorities were contacted by Asle Helgelien, who had found correspondence between his brother, Andrew Helgelien, and Gunness; the letters included petitions for him to relocate to La Porte, to bring money, and to keep the move a secret. YouTubeRay Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. In 1881, when she was 21 years old, Belle Gunness moved to Chicago. 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). Well this is just what I would like to know but it almost seems impossible for me to give a definite answer.. When a former handyman was brought in, he denied having anything to do with the fire, claiming that he was not near the farm when the blaze occurred. Biography.com Curiously, the corpse itself seemed to be much too small to be hers. One read: 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. These were lonely Norwegian bachelors, many completely cut off from their families. Suspicious, Asle started asking questions around town and then came the fire. By now, Gunness had purchased a farm in La Porte, Indiana. Hunting Humans: The Rise of Modern Multiple Murder examined the _____ _____ of serial murders. She was the rarest of female psychopaths, a woman who engaged in wholesale slaughter, partly out of greed but mostly for the sheer joy of it. Triflers need not apply. The Line-UP What was most likely the reason for these crimes? [7] Reported "sightings" of Gunness in the Chicago area continued long after she was declared dead. 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. Belle insisted that a meat grinder had fallen on his head, crushing his skull. It is believed the couple produced two children whom Gunness poisoned in infancy for the insurance money. To lure her last victim, Gunness wrote: My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. [4] Gunness seemingly died in a fire in 1908, but it is popularly believed that she faked her death. She murdered over 40 people between 1884 and 1908 (1). Although he almost left, Helgelien became convinced that he couldnt do so without looking harder for Andrew. ; Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American . 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. Within a week, he had disappeared. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. In the end, she was awarded $8,500 (about $240,000 today), with which she bought a farm on the outskirts of La Porte, Indiana. By 1886, she was married to a man named Mads Sorensen, had somehow wound up with an unknown number of children (although whether they were the couple's natural children or foster children remains unclear), and the family was running a failing candy shop. Hoping to find a clue related to his brothers disappearance, Helgelien and the farmhand began to dig up a pile of soft dirt in the hog pen. status aspirations. But did Lamphere actually cause the fire? [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. 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. It does not take one long to tell when to like a person, and you I like better than anyone in the world, I know. Answer: Selbu, Norway Belle was born on November 22, 1859. The farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. In 1877, Gunness attended a country dance while pregnant. La Porte County Historical Society MuseumInvestigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. He told the Sheriff that Gunness had ordered him to bring loads of dirt by wheelbarrow to a large area surrounded by a high wire fence where the hogs were fed. Though her husband's family demanded an inquiry, no charges were filed. In April 1902, she married Peter Gunness. Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress . But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. Ray Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He was jealous of the many men who arrived at court his employer and had endured most of these attentive strangers up to this time. They also found the body of a headless woman who, at first, they assumed 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. Years later, Jennie's body was found buried among her mother's victims. He disappeared from her farm within a week of his arrival. Lamphere later confessed that Gunness had placed advertisements seeking male companionship, only to murder and rob the men who responded and subsequently visited her on the farm. Although her farmhouse burned down in April 1908, seemingly with her inside, some believe that Gunness slipped away perhaps to kill again. 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. Meanwhile, a man whose brother had been in contact with Gunness believed he'd been murdered and had begun asking questions. Together, they owned and operated a confectionary store and before long, had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. After murdering her two husbands, the Norwegian-American woman posted ads in the paper looking for men to invest in her farm. Initially, authorities found the remains of an adult woman and three children and quickly concluded that they belonged to the homeowner, a Norwegian immigrant known as Belle Gunness and her three foster children. Just one week after the ceremony, Peters infant daughter died of uncertain causes while alone in the house with Belle. 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