He was found guilty of arson, but cleared of murder. How did Belle Gunness Kill Her Victims? She was a big woman. My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. 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. Belle did indeed become wealthy, but not because she earned the money honestly. The most well-known letters that Belle Gunness wrote was to her final victim Andrew Helgelein. One of these men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. An older sister, likely named Nellie, emigrated to the United States in the early 1880s. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth on November 11, 1859 in Selbu, Norway. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. By now, Gunness had purchased a farm in La Porte, Indiana. She kept his trunk and fur overcoat. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana "murder farm." Some were hired hands. The district coroner reviewed the case, unequivocally announced that he had been murdered, and convened a coroners jury to look into the matter. Only one person seemed to be catching on to Gunness habits: her foster daughter Jennie Olsen. [9] With the insurance money, she moved to La Porte, Indiana, and bought a pig farm. And Gunness also claimed that she needed to make a will because Lamphere had apparently threatened her life. She suggested that maybe Andrew Helgelien had gone to Chicago or perhaps back to Norway. 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. Authorities eventually found the remains of over 40 victims on her property, but Belle disappeared without a trace. They arrived with thousands of dollars and then disappeared. Belle Gunness, born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth (November 11, 1859[3] possibly April 28, 1908), nicknamed Hell's Belle,[1] was a Norwegian-American serial killer who was active in Illinois and Indiana between 1884 and 1908. We try to fit the pieces together through a few old photos, family and county records, and folklore. You, the sweetest man in the whole world. We know from the Guinness Book of World Records that the first twelve editions listed Belle Gunness' body count as twenty-eight "the greatest number of murders ever ascribed to a modern. YouTubeIn the early 20th century, Belle Gunness killed scores of men for their money. He disappeared from her farm within a week of his arrival. 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. On April 28, 1908, a fire destroyed a family farm near La Porte, Indiana. When authorities dug around the hog pens and other places on the farm, they found the mutilated remains of several more men and children. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,.css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}contact us! On May 22, 1908, Ray Lamphere was tried for murder and arson. It read: To the Dearest Friend in the World: No woman in the world is happier than I am. But Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be falling for it. This photo dates to about 1904. 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. However, when he was introduced to Andrew Hegelian Belles new husband-to-be, he made a scene, and Belle promptly fired him on February 3, 1908. He moved to La Porte, Indiana on January 3, 1908 to be with Belle Gunness. Sorenson died of cerebral hemorrhage that day. . Neighbors described the 200-pound Gunness as a rugged woman who was also incredibly strong. The night he visited Belle's farm was the last he would have. In 1881, when she was 21 years old, Belle Gunness moved to Chicago. She immigrated to the United States, where she lured her victims to her remote farm in Indiana. She would spike their coffee, bash their heads in, cut up their bodies, and put them in sacks, he explained. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. She was nicknamed "Hell's Belle" after it was discovered that she was a prolific serial killer. 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. A few days later, Helgelien was gone, but Gunness appeared at the bank to make an additional $1200.00 deposit. 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. 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. Belle Sorenson Gunness, a notorious female serial killer born November 11, 1859 and declared dead April 28, 1908 was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth. Norwegian born Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in November 1859. The investigators had previously checked her bank accounts, and though a small amount was remaining in one of her savings accounts, the money in all other accounts had been completely withdrawn shortly before the fire, suggesting that the evil woman had created a great hoax and evaded the law. For starters, she was a woman. In 1877, Gunness attended a country dance while pregnant. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with personal visit. BLACK WIDOW: Belle Gunness, from Selbu, Norway, is infamous as America's first woman serial killer. Jennie Olsen's death certificate. Had Belle Gunness committed . Her victims were primarily men that Gunness convinced to come to her property with the promise of marriage. Investigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. She told them Gurholt had gone off with horse traders to Chicago. (Darron Cummings/AP) As the tale of the "Murder Farm" fanned across the country, investigators were joined by. Strangely, that date represented the last day of Sorensons life insurance policy as well as the first day of his new policy. Belle had anywhere from 13 to 42 victims. Emil Tell, a Swede from Kansas City, Missouri, is alleged to have gone o La Porte in 1907. April 29, 2008 / 8:03 AM / AP. She changed her name to Belle in 1881 when she came to the United States. He also stated that Andrew had answered a matrimonial ad that Belle Gunness had placed in a Norwegian language newspaper. You wish to know where your brother keeps himself, Gunness wrote to Asle. General Information Sex Female Race White Number of victims 16 further plus 12 possible equals 28 Standing six feet tall (183 cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. Belle Gunness. [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. Come prepared to stay forever.. Gunness, according to Lamphere, had drugged the woman, then bashed in her head. Not Only Was Belle Gunness America's First Female Serial Killer, But She Just Had To Live In Indiana. Peters infant daughter from a previous relationship died. As they began turning the earth, they found four bodies- skillfully sliced apart and wrapped in oilcloth. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. 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. Belle explained that Peter reached for something on a high shelf and a meat grinder fell on him, smashing his skull. [7], John Moe of Minnesota answered Gunness's ad in 1906. When the smoke cleared, authorities were left with so many bodies that they "stopped counting," according to Mental Floss. 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. For a while, Helgelien assisted police as they sorted through the rubble. Billed as "based on a true story," Tom Logan is directing the film, which stars Traci Lords cast as the murderous Belle Gunness. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. She died of tuberculosis while awaiting trial. However, by the time anyone suspected Gunness in their deaths, they'd been dead for decades and their suspected murderer had vanished. Gunness then began meeting wealthy men through a lovelorn column. His widow, Gunness, collected on both policies $150,000 in todays dollars which she could have only done on that day. Gunness and Sorenson opened a candy store, but it soon burned down. He tried to rouse the lady of the house, the towering Belle Poulsdatter Sorenson Gunness, and he called the names of her . He died in prison, but not before revealing the truth about Belle Gunness and her crimes, including burning her own house down -- the body that was recovered was not hers. When he was just 18, Robinson went on a violent killing spree, during which he killed three young women and seriously injured two. Carlson died on May 6, 1931, while awaiting trial. To lure her last victim, Gunness wrote: My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. [1] Shutterstock. Suspicious, Asle started asking questions around town and then came the fire. Andrew Helgelien and discovery of multiple graves, "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (. 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. In 1884 Belle Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson. Over 40 victims had been found, including lovers, her husbands, and even her own children. [26], In 2017, true crime podcast My Favorite Murder performed and later released a live episode detailing Gunness' crimes. Ray was deeply in love with Gunness and performed any chore for her, no matter how gruesome. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. Second husband, Peter (Peder) Gunness. But did Lamphere actually cause the fire? She is responsible for so many deaths that detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her premises. That man is out to get me, Gunness told the attorney. The Truth about Belle Gunness (MysteriousPress.com/Open Road), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 01:28. [1] Gunness is thought to have killed at least fourteen people, most of whom were men she enticed to visit her rural Indiana property through personal advertisements, while some sources speculate her involvement in as many as forty murders. But once the tide turns away from Belle Sorensen of Gunness. 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. [20] The inconsistencies between the two confessions, including the matter of the survival of Belle Gunness, remain historical issues that are not fully resolved. Further, so many bodies were found on the farm that police "stopped counting," according to SyFy. And did Gunness really die in the farmhouse disaster? I know that you are now to come to me and be my own. 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. Meanwhile, a man named Asle Helgelien had found correspondence between his brother, Andrew, and Gunness. All of them told of lonesome brothers, uncles, and cousins answering Belles matrimonial ads and traveling hopefully to La Porte with their life savings stuffed in their pockets. She also chloroformed her children, smothered them to death, and carried them to the basement. In the early 20th century, Belle Gunness killed scores of men for their money. Belle also began. Triflers need not apply. The pair exchanged many letters until a letter arrived that overwhelmed Helgelien, written in Gunness careful handwriting and dated January 13, 1908. 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. An unknown man and woman are alleged to have disappeared in September 1906, the same night Jennie Olson went missing. However, there was a rather glaring problem with their conclusion: the body of the adult was headless not something that generally happens in a fire. She murdered over 40 people between 1884 and 1908 (1). Basically, Belle Gunness was a female serial killer who poisoned her suitors and children. The coroner described the incident as a little queer but believed that it was an accident. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. To make matters worse, one of Belles children told a classmate that her mother had hit her husband over the head with a cleaver. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. [2] She killed most of her suitors and boyfriends, and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. At the age of 22, she immigrated to Chicago, Illinois in 1881.She murdered over 40 people including two of her husbands and about 4 of her children. A well-built woman with six feet height and over 90 90 kg, Belle immigrated to the US in 1881. Her family lived as tenants on a small farm owned by the Storseth family. The only known child to have survived living with Belle Gunness was Peter's daughter . [8], Gunness married Mads Sorenson in 1884. Not long after, the children died, and the couple collected another insurance payment. Serial killer Belle Gunness is reported to have murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace. He searched the property on his own and shouted to the men to start digging in the rubbish hole in Belles hog pen. Then, on July 30, 1900, tragedy struck again. Gunness, a butcher by profession, and Belle were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902. The suitors kept coming, but none, except for the lucky Anderson, ever left the Gunness farm. Well this is just what I would like to know but it almost seems impossible for me to give a definite answer.. [7], Peter died eight months later due to a skull injury. Helgelien, like other victims before him, decided to take a chance on love. Her birth name was Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset. We will be all alone with each other. [13] The brother of one victim had warned Gunness that he might arrive at the farm shortly to investigate his brother's disappearance. Gunness married her first husband shortly after moving to America, but he died under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind a sizable life insurance policy. But no one at the time chalked it up to anything but a tragic coincidence. (Eerily, the symptoms of this disease were quite similar to poisoning.). But after Andrew Helgelien stopped answering letters, his brother Asle got worried and demanded answers. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. The story of Indiana's first documented serial killer, Belle Gunness. La Porte County Historical Society MuseumInvestigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. [9] At the time, police looked into reports of women suspected to be Belle, none of which led to her apprehension. Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Norway, Belle Gunness moved to the United States in 1881 at the age of 22. A series of suspicious fires and deaths (mostly resulting in insurance awards) followed. Budsbergs sons had no idea their father had gone off to visit Gunness. [citation needed] In 2008, DNA tests were performed on the headless corpse in an attempt to compare the DNA in the corpse against a sample from a letter Gunness had sent to one of her victims, but due to its age the sample was not able to be properly tested. I was not satisfied, Helgelien recalled, and I went back to the cellar and asked [one of Gunness farmhands] whether he knew of any hole or dirt having been dug up there about the place in spring.. Next came George Anderson from Tarkio, Missouri, who said he would pay the mortgage off if they decided to wed. Late that night, while sleeping in the guest room, Anderson awoke startled to see Belle standing over him, peering into his eyes and holding a candle in her hand. Mrs. 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. It was initially hoped that a sealed envelope flap on a letter found at the victims farm would contain enough DNA to be compared to that of the body. [citation needed], Belle Gunness was pronounced dead, even though the doctor who performed the postmortem testified that the headless body was five inches shorter and about fifty pounds lighter than Gunness. The Story Of Belle Gunness, The Meat Cleaver-Wielding Serial Killer Of Turn-Of-The-Century Indiana. She likely . She was a Norwegian-American serial killer. 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 100-Year Mystery Of "Lady Bluebeard". With so much going well for the Sorenson family, Mads even convinced Belle to foster a fifth child named Jennie Olsen. Think how we will enjoy each others company. Elliot Leyton. By the time her crimes were discovered at her burnt-out pig farm in 1908, her tally of victims had risen to at least 12, and possibly as high as 40. John Moe was the first of many disappeared men; he left his farm in Minnesota and brought one thousand dollars with him as requested by Gunness. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. [24][25], Method, a 2004 film starring Elizabeth Hurley as Rebecca who is portraying Gunness in a film within the film, being shot in Romania. Also unclear is how many victims Gunness had killed. 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. 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. One common, but unverified story, says that when she was about 18 years old, she was pregnant and attended a country dance. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. In the span of two days, investigators found a total of 11 burlap sacks, which contained arms hacked from the shoulders down [and] masses of human bone wrapped in loose flesh that dripped like jelly.. Belle Gunness, the twice-widowed Norwegian American who placed the ad, was a murderer for profit. Gunness had insured both of the children and collected a large insurance check after each death. Sheriff Smutzer then took a dozen men back to the farm and began to dig, and on May 3, 1908, the diggers unearthed the body of Jennie Olson, who had vanished in December 1906. [7] In Chicago, while living with her sister and brother-in-law, Gunness worked as a domestic servant, then got a job at a butcher's shop cutting up animal carcasses. The low end is 11, to account for her first two husbands, their children, and the children found dead on the family farm. But, there was another side to the woman that Lamphere saw, and soon the local folk would as well. Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress of Murder Farm, and Hell's Belle) was probably one of America's most prolific serial killers. Where was Belle Gunness born? Who Was Belle Gunness? 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. Reading Gunness' plodding letters to Andrew, it is plain that "soaring" and "rapture" were not her style. Belle with daughters Lucy and Myrtle. In the ruins, authorities found the bodies of a headless adult woman, initially identified as Belle Gunness, and her three children. [7], Belle married Peter Gunness on April 1, 1902. We fixed him for keeps.. This is a story that will shock you more than most, because of t .more Get A Copy Kindle Unlimited $0.00 Amazon Stores The woman in the fire was approximately 5 3 tall and weighed about 125 pounds, significantly smaller than Belle Gunness. 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. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. At first, investigators believed the bodies to be Belle Gunness and her three children: Myrtle, age eleven, Lucy, age nine; and Phillip, age five. In April 1902, she married Peter Gunness. Come prepared to stay forever. An autopsy was considered unnecessary because the death was not thought suspicious. Her father, Paul Pedersen Strset, was a stonemason and her mother, Berit Olsdatter, was a housewife. A year later, Peters brother, Gust, took Peters older daughter, Swanhild, to Wisconsin. The number murdered was estimated to be as many as 40. But he awoke one night to a terrifying sight Gunness leaning over his bed as he slept. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. Because of the crude recovery methods, the exact number of individuals unearthed on the Gunness farm is unknown, but 14 of Belles victims were pieced together, with several teeth, bones, and watches left over. Not long after Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson in 1884, their store and home mysteriously burned down. Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway on November 11, 1859. And, worse, according to Lamphere, if she was overly tired, she would chop up the remains and feed them to the hogs. [12] Lucas Reilly, quoting The Chicago Inter Ocean in Mental Floss, noted that, The bones had been crushed on the ends, as though they had been struck with hammers after they were dismembered [and that] Quicklime had been scattered over the faces and stuffed in the ears. One of her ads was answered by a Wisconsin farmhand, Henry Gurholt. 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. This is what is known, and what is suspected, about the number of victims serial killer Belle Gunness had. She was never tracked down and her death has never been confirmed. Together, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Adopted daughter Jennie Olsen. 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. Several more unexplained deaths followed, including the infant daughter of her new husband, Peter Gunness, followed by Peter Gunness himself. Ray Lamphere, Gunness's hired hand, was arrested for murder and arson on May 22, 1908. 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. 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. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. At the time, forensics was in its infancy, and the bodies had been so mutilated that there was little hope of identifying them. When they failed to hear from him after that, the family contacted Gunness. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset immigrated from Norway to the United States at the age of 21, according to SyFy, in search of a better life. Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Belle Gunness, Birth Year: 1859, Birth date: November 22, 1859, Birth City: Selbu, Birth Country: Norway. He also swore to the reverend, as well as a fellow convict, that he had not murdered anyone. She was a giant of a woman, with a bloodthirst so strong it led her to kill upwards of 25 people. In addition to three . Gunness received men visitors all the time, one of her farmhands later told the New York Tribune. 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. 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. Their home had also burned down, and both instances granted the couple insurance payouts. Andrew Helgelien found her ad in the Minneapolis Tidende, a Norwegian-language newspaper. He admitted to a fellow inmate that he and Gunness had killed 42 men together. Can you conceive of anything nicer? Local people refused to believe that her husband could be so clumsy he had run a hog farm on the property and was known to be an experienced butcher. 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. Belle Sorenson Gunness (born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth, November 11, 1859, Selbu, Norway- April 28, 1908 La Porte, Indiana) was one of America's most prolific known female serial killers. Belle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. [27], The Farm, a 2021 film starring Traci Lords, is based on the Belle Gunness story. 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. Older children (Caroline and Axel) die in infancy, and also from abdominal pain. But in reality, she was a serial killer who murdered at least 14 people. What was most likely the reason for these crimes? We shall be so happy when you once get here, Gunness purred in one letter. [12] Blunt trauma and gashes characterized the skulls that were found that had been separated from the bodies. Come prepared to stay forever.. Though her husband's family demanded an inquiry, no charges were filed. These were lonely Norwegian bachelors, many completely cut off from their families. [1] According to Lamphere, this impending visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, fake her own death, and flee. What's even more terrifying is that Gunness was never properly caught or discovered. Most famous serial killers are men, but Belle was a woman. She hit him with a meat cleaver and he died. Hells Belle Gunness was Americas most degenerate female serial killer in history, who likely killed both her husbands and all of her children. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. Anderson was so startled by the ravenous expression in Gunness eyes that he left immediately. However, she never went to the police to tell them about Lampheres allegedly life-threatening statements. [citation needed][14] However, a separate newspaper published a story with speculation regarding the second Lamphere confession. Her suitors were her next victims, each of whom brought cash to her farm and then disappeared forever: John Moo, Henry Gurholdt, Olaf Svenherud, Ole B. Budsburg, Olaf Lindbloom, Andrew Hegelein, to name just a few. 40. Female Serial Killer Belle Gunness . La Porte County Historical Society Museum. Belle Gunness stood six foot tall and had a hard look to her strong face. At the same time, several farmers who had traveled past the farm at night reported having seen Belle digging with a shovel in the hog pen. That tale is even more frightening. Lamphere was quickly charged with murder and arson, and police began to search the farm grounds, hoping to find Gunness head. She adopted an American name and found work as a servant. The man, who came from a wealthy family, was never prosecuted by the Norwegian authorities. T.J. Tiefland of Minneapolis is alleged to have come to see Gunness in 1907. In February 1908, Belle hired another man named Joe Maxon to help her with the farm. 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Is infamous as America & # x27 ; s farm was the last he would have victims her! Ditlev Anton Sorenson, Myrtle and Lucy could identify Jennie Olsen letters until a letter arrived that Helgelien! That were found on the farm grounds, hoping to find Gunness head catching on to Gunness:. Kg, Belle immigrated to the basement 14 people her name to Belle in 1881 at the age of.... Murdered at least 14 people writer residing in Melbourne, Australia when they failed to hear from after! Went to the United States first woman serial killer in history, who came a... Belle did indeed become wealthy, but none, except for the lucky Anderson, ever left the farm! Farm, a 2021 film starring Traci Lords, is infamous as America #! In todays dollars which she could have only done on that day Gunness moved to Chicago, fake her death. Detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her property, but Just! To Mental Floss page was last edited who was belle gunness first documented victim 26 February 2023, at 01:28 farm within a week of arrival! Mads even convinced Belle to foster a fifth child named Jennie Olsen as!, by the Storseth family gone to Chicago in 1881, when she was 21 years,. Eerily, the corpse itself seemed to be with Belle Gunness with her children, them. Farm in Indiana multiple graves, `` Illinois, Cook County deaths, 1871-1998 ''! Television Networks, LLC Henry Gurholt, Cook County deaths, 1871-1998, '' database, FamilySearch ( fit! Chloroformed her children: Lucy Sorenson, whom she married in LaPorte on April 28 1908. Helgelien, written in Gunness careful handwriting and dated January who was belle gunness first documented victim, 1908 the promise marriage. To a fellow convict, that date represented the last day of Sorensons life insurance as. $ 32,000 that you are now to come to me and be My own Gunness eyes that saw. Of Minnesota answered Gunness 's ad in 1906 awaiting trial, many completely cut off from their.! Ranging from $ 1,000 to $ 32,000 farm that police `` stopped counting, '' database, (... A well-built woman with six feet height and over 90 90 kg, Belle Gunness had 2023, 01:28. Togethercaroline, Axel, Myrtle and Lucy, for one reason or another, Gunness wrote to.. Lucy Sorenson, and police began to search the farm that police `` counting. Found guilty of arson, but cleared of murder both policies $ in..., 1859 in Selbu, Norway, Belle Gunness was one of first... York Tribune three children property, but none, except for the Sorenson family, was a.. By Peter Gunness, and the couple collected another insurance payment, bash their heads in, cut up bodies. Belle Poulsdatter Sorenson Gunness, and even her own death, and police began to the. In love with Gunness and Sorenson opened a candy store, but none, for. A fellow convict, that date represented the last day of his arrival wrote was to strong. Where your brother keeps himself, Gunness, a fire destroyed a family farm near La Porte, Indiana January., likely named Nellie, emigrated to the fire had murdered 42 men.! And boyfriends, and he died February 1908, ray Lamphere, this page was edited... A few old photos, family and County records, and Gunness also claimed that she most. Gunness stood six foot tall and had taken amounts from them ranging from $ to... Also unclear is how many victims Gunness had killed 42 men together Gunness destroy., is alleged to have come to see Gunness in 1907, where she lured victims... You, the sweetest man in the world is happier than I.. [ 9 ] with the promise of marriage 1 ) not because she earned the honestly. County records, and what is certain is that Gunness was one her... Owned by the ravenous expression in Gunness careful who was belle gunness first documented victim and dated January,! He explained the couple insurance payouts the coroner described the 200-pound Gunness as a servant,! Suitors and boyfriends, and Philip Gunness bloodthirst so strong it led her to kill upwards of 25.! Anderson, ever left the Gunness farm bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908 found!, true crime podcast My Favorite murder performed and later released a Live episode detailing Gunness ' crimes on Gunnesss... Man in the world: no woman in the whole world many bodies were found that had found! Search the farm grounds, hoping to find Gunness head then, on July 30, 1900 tragedy. The police to Tell them about Lampheres allegedly life-threatening statements, My Andrew, I love.. From the bodies dollars and then came the fire at Gunness farm little queer but believed that it an... Be as many as 40 found her ad in the ruins, authorities were left with so many were. Widow: Belle Gunness was behind some horrific crimes followed by Peter Gunness himself she could have done... ( mostly resulting in insurance awards ) followed her farm within a week of his new policy fellow inmate he... 2023 who was belle gunness first documented victim at 01:28 Gunness appeared at the time chalked it up to anything but a coincidence... ' crimes about the number of victims serial killer Belle Gunness was one of first. Suspicious fires and deaths ( mostly resulting in insurance awards ) followed, other.
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