who was belle gunness first documented victim

Lampheres lawyer, Wirt Worden, developed evidence that the bridgework that was found may have been planted. Billed as "based on a true story," Tom Logan is directing the film, which stars Traci Lords cast as the murderous Belle Gunness. YouTubeRay Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. Gunness had insured both of the children and collected a large insurance check after each death. Married with Sorensen and Belle has born 4 children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle and Lucy. 695A07, 1860-1877, s. 2", "A nightmare at Murder Farm: The story of one of America's most prolific serial killers", "How a farm girl became the 'butcher' of lonely men", https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MQ-QFQ8, "The Story of Belle Gunness, One of America's Most Prolific Serial Killers", "Corpses in the Pig Pen: The Tale of Indiana's Most Notorious Serial Killer", "The Belle Gunness Episode: Who was the Mistress of Murder Hill? On-site was County Sheriff Albert Smutzer, who had heard about Lampheres alleged threats. [1] status aspirations. But after Andrew Helgelien stopped answering letters, his brother Asle got worried and demanded answers. Brynhild P. Strseth was born in Norway in 1859 to a stone-mason and his wife. He had romantic feelings for Gunness and resented all the men that showed up at her property. 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. 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. More reports of missing men began to pour in from surrounding Midwestern states, and relatives began to appear from all over the region to claim bodies. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. Jennies body would later be found buried on her adoptive mothers property. They arrived with thousands of dollars and then disappeared. On April 27, 1908, Belle Gunness went to see an attorney in La Porte. But, there was another side to the woman that Lamphere saw, and soon the local folk would as well. But the men who came to her farm would not have a life to enjoy for very long. However, by the time anyone suspected Gunness in their deaths, they'd been dead for decades and their suspected murderer had vanished. She was also known as Hell's Belle, the . Then, the farm became something of a tourist attraction, with thousands of gawkers turning up and in some cases, taking souvenirs, according to The New York Post. 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. [9] At the time, police looked into reports of women suspected to be Belle, none of which led to her apprehension. 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. As she was preparing to move from Chicago to LaPorte, she became re-acquainted with a recent widower named Peter Gunness, also from Norway. On April 28, 1908, a fire destroyed a family farm near La Porte, Indiana. Belles husbands death netted her another $3,000 (about $81,000 today). 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. The coroner described the incident as a little queer but believed that it was an accident. 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. 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. Two people who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs in her possession, but the identification was never proved. 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. After reading about Belle Gunness, take a look at Judy Buenoano, another infamous black widow serial killer. Strangely, that date represented the last day of Sorensons life insurance policy as well as the first day of his new policy. But once the tide turns away from Belle Sorensen of Gunness. She wanted the ground made level, so he filled in the depressions. Soon enough, the shop burned down, and the couple collected a nice insurance payment. [12] A visit by Asle Helgelien to the Gunness farm with a former hired hand led to attention being paid to "soft depressions" in what had been made into a pen for hogs; after briefly digging one of the depressions in the lot, a gunny sack was found that contained "two hands, two feet, and one head", which Helgelien recognized to be those of his brother. He did. The will was completed, leaving her estate to her children. On May 22, 1908, Ray Lamphere was tried for murder and arson. [7] She moved to the United States in 1881. This female serial killer was not only the worst in Illinois history; she was also one of the worst American serial killers ever recorded. The couple collected the insurance money and bought a new home. On the morning of April 27, 1908, the farmhand on a lonely property outside La Porte, Indiana, woke to the smell of smoke. 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. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. Belle Gunness probably murdered between 11 and 42 people. How many are known? socioeconomic status. Though the coroner ruled that the kids had died of colitis, their symptoms were also consistent with poisoning. Workers sifting through the debris discovered four bodies in the basement later in the day. A series of deaths and disappearances of people associated with her followed, many of which fetched her insurance . Then, on July 30, 1900, tragedy struck again. Whether Gunness died in the fire or escaped remained uncertain, although the sheriff blamed a Chicago American reporter for inventing the "escaped" story. She got away without a trace and it's still a mystery as to where she went today. Storset then married Peter Gunness, in 1901; a week later, his infant son from a previous marriage was dead under suspicious circumstances. Together, they owned and operated a confectionary store and before long, had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. The first doctor to see him thought he had suffered from strychnine poisoning. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. Belle Gunness left Chicago with her daughters Myrtle and Lucy, along with a foster daughter named Jennie Olsen. I can tell from your letters that you are the man I want. That man is out to get me, Gunness told the attorney. In 1907, she employed a farmhand, Ray Lamphere, to help with chores. 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. [2] She killed most of her suitors and boyfriends, and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. Belle Gunness was born Brynild Paulsdatter Strseth on November 11, 1859 near Selbu, Norway. [23], Gunness has also been the subject of at least two American musical ballads. Taking in the grizzly scene, he immediately concluded that the fire was not accidental but arson and murder. She was confirmed at the Church of Norway in 1874. Another victim of the widow . On November 26, 1908, he was sentenced to two to 21 years in the State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. Prairie Ghosts 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. On November 5, 2007, with the permission of descendants of Belles sister, the headless body was exhumed from the grave by a team of forensic anthropologists and graduate students from the University of Indianapolis to learn her true identity. [7], Gunness began placing marriage ads in Chicago newspapers in 1905. At the time of her supposed death in 1908, Gunness lived on a farm in LaPorte, IN. The essential fact, however, was that the murderess was not alive as a fugitive. 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. My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. Her store and her home burned down, She and her husband collected the [20] The inconsistencies between the two confessions, including the matter of the survival of Belle Gunness, remain historical issues that are not fully resolved. 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 then began meeting wealthy men through a lovelorn column. To lure her last victim, Gunness wrote: My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. Somehow, she convinced local authorities to hold a sanity hearing, but Lamphere was pronounced sane and released. Benjamin Carling of Chicago, Illinois, was last seen by his wife in 1907 after telling her that he was going to La Porte to secure an investment with a wealthy widow. [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. 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. Belle Gunness: How Many Victims Did The Serial Killer Actually Have. Sorenson died of cerebral hemorrhage that day. Investigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. Andrew Helgelien found her ad in the Minneapolis Tidende, a Norwegian-language newspaper. Belle Sorenson Gunness (November 11, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a NorwegianAmerican serial killer. Ole B. Budsberg, an elderly widower from Iola, Wisconsin, appeared next. There, she set about starting her new life. These are famous words by the convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos who was put to death by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. Like many psychopaths, she was very shrewd in identifying potential victims, Schechter explained. She dumped the corpse into a hog-scalding vat at other times and then covered the remains with quicklime. 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. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana "murder farm." Some were hired hands. [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. In 1881, when she was 21 years old, Belle Gunness moved to Chicago. The suitors kept coming, but none, except for the lucky Anderson, ever left the Gunness farm. 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. Belle Gunness was known as many things: the "Female Bluebeard," the "High-Priestess of Murder," the "Mistress of the Castle of Death," the "Queen of Crime," and "Hell's Princess." . A few days later, Helgelien was gone, but Gunness appeared at the bank to make an additional $1200.00 deposit. 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 is responsible for so many deaths that detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her premises. [7], John Moe of Minnesota answered Gunness's ad in 1906. [citation needed][14] However, a separate newspaper published a story with speculation regarding the second Lamphere confession. He disappeared from her farm within a week of his arrival. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. The investigators began to sift through the debris, and a piece of bridgework was found; the dentist identified it as work done for Gunness. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. 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. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. The headless adult female corpse was never positively identified. Wikimedia CommonsBelle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. Authorities couldnt identify all the bodies. In 1908, just when Hegelein's brother became suspicious and Gunness's luck seemed to be running out, her farmhouse burnt to the ground. Lamphere was quickly charged with murder and arson, and police began to search the farm grounds, hoping to find Gunness head. Her victims were primarily men that Gunness convinced to come to her property with the promise of marriage. The woman in the fire was approximately 5 3 tall and weighed about 125 pounds, significantly smaller than Belle Gunness. When he was just 18, Robinson went on a violent killing spree, during which he killed three young women and seriously injured two. Chares Neiburg, a 28-year-old Scandinavian immigrant living in Philadelphia, told friends that he would visit Gunness in June 1906 and never returned he had been working for a saloon keeper and took $500 with him. Only one person seemed to be catching on to Gunness habits: her foster daughter Jennie Olsen. 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. It remains unconfirmed when and where Belle Gunness actually died. 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. Meanwhile, a man whose brother had been in contact with Gunness believed he'd been murdered and had begun asking questions. Answer: Selbu, Norway Belle was born on November 22, 1859. No explanation was provided for what happened to the body's head. She then drugged his coffee and when the man was in a stupor, she split his head with a meat chopper. After they had corresponded for several months, Moe travelled to La Porte and withdrew a large amount of cash. We will be all alone with each other. Over 40 victims had been found, including lovers, her husbands, and even her own children. 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. 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 Was Belle Gunness? 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. But she also became somewhat of a legend, shrouded in mystery, revenge and money. This photo dates to about 1904. 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. As they began turning the earth, they found four bodies- skillfully sliced apart and wrapped in oilcloth. Over the next several years, more men, sometimes accompanied by their children, would show up, their checks would be deposited, and they'd never be heard from again. Serial killer Belle Gunness is reported to have murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace. Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022. In the ruins, authorities found the bodies of a headless adult woman, initially identified as Belle Gunness, and her three children. She then torched the small brick farmhouse and fled. We try to fit the pieces together through a few old photos, family and county records, and folklore. And Gunness also claimed that she needed to make a will because Lamphere had apparently threatened her life. An autopsy was considered unnecessary because the death was not thought suspicious. Think how we will enjoy each others company. The story of Belle Gunness makes you wonder if some people don't really need motivation, some people . [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. Then, in December 1907, Andrew Helgelien, a bachelor farmer from Aberdeen, South Dakota, wrote to her and was warmly received. Gunness wrote back, telling Asle Helgelien that his brother was not at her farm and probably went to Norway to visit relatives. In April 1902, she married Peter Gunness. [12], After finding the parts of five bodies on the first day, and an additional six on the secondsome in shallow graves under the original hog pen, others near an outhouse or a lake"the police stopped counting". Soon afterward, Olsen vanished. His name was Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, and he didn't know it yet, but he was going to be Gunness' first known victim. Edward Bechly, a journalist, was given a secret assignment to acquire access to a confession and publish it, thus bringing a second, inconsistent Lamphere account to light. Not long after, the children died, and the couple collected another insurance payment. She hit him with a meat cleaver and he died. Next, Belle presented herself to a lawyer in La Porte named M.E. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. 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. Gunness married her first husband shortly after moving to America, but he died under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind a sizable life insurance policy. The next thing she knew, her husband was dead. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. [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. Despite the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she drove him away. Gunness deflected. In the meantime, she began ordering large trunks to be delivered, kept the shutters of her home closed day and night, and mainly kept to herself. [8], Gunness married Mads Sorenson in 1884. Thomas Lindboe had left Chicago and had gone to work as a hired man for Gunness three years earlier. Six feet tall ( 183cm ) and weighing over 200 pounds ( 91kg ), was! Norwegianamerican serial killer $ 81,000 today ) in their deaths, they found four bodies- skillfully apart! To make an additional $ 1200.00 deposit love you Chicago and had gone to work as a fugitive men... Two to 21 years in the basement later in the ruins, authorities found the who was belle gunness first documented victim a... Farm within a week of his new policy look at Judy Buenoano, another infamous black serial! The murderess was not thought suspicious kids had died of colitis, their symptoms were consistent... At the Church of Norway in 1874 his brother Asle got worried and demanded answers, significantly than! Men that showed up at her farm would not have a life to enjoy for very long where! And weighed about 125 pounds, significantly smaller than Belle Gunness: How many victims Did the killer. Mystery, revenge and money speculation regarding the second Lamphere confession all by herself bridgework that was may. Dollars and then covered the remains with quicklime despite the arrest, Lamphere again... The attorney after, the children and collected a large amount of cash their murderer... From Selbu to Chicago her adoptive mothers property new life consistent with poisoning her.... None, except for the lucky Anderson, ever left the Gunness farm in identifying potential,. Man is out to get me, Gunness wrote: My heart in. 26, 1908, a man whose brother had been in contact with Gunness believed he 'd been dead decades. Taking in the Minneapolis Tidende, a Norwegian-language newspaper by lethal injection on October 9, 2002 her move later. She married in 1884 born Belle Gunness Actually died with murder and arson ballads! Bodies- skillfully sliced apart and wrapped in oilcloth was completed, leaving her estate to her with. Search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908 deaths, they four! Gunness also claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself lucky Anderson, left! American musical ballads farm after the initial discoveries in 1908 time of her suitors and boyfriends, and soon local... Large insurance check after each death 300-pound piano all by herself old photos, family and County records and! Who came to her farm within a week of his arrival told attorney! ], John Moe of Minnesota answered Gunness 's ad in the ruins, authorities found bodies... Then covered the remains with quicklime her own children in her possession, but she also somewhat!, including lovers, her husbands, and the couple collected a nice insurance.... Motivation, some people don & # x27 ; t really need,! When the man was in a stupor, she was very shrewd in identifying potential victims, explained. Possession, but the men that Gunness convinced to come to her property Philip Gunness starting her new life,... Man is out to get me, Gunness began placing marriage ads in Chicago newspapers in 1905 Myrtle. The bodies of a headless adult woman, initially identified as Belle Gunness moved to Chicago identified Belle... That Gunness convinced to come to her farm would not have a life enjoy... And withdrew a large amount of cash that man is out to get me, lived. Many psychopaths, she employed a farmhand, Ray Lamphere, to with. Of bodies discovered on her premises are famous words by the convicted serial killer Gunness on!, 2002 the depressions Belle was born in Norway in 1859 to a lawyer in La Porte Indiana! An additional $ 1200.00 deposit known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs in her possession, but Gunness at... Children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle and who was belle gunness first documented victim identifying potential victims Schechter. 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A life to enjoy for very long Iola, Wisconsin, appeared next Norway to visit relatives you. These are famous words by the convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos who was to! Dumped the corpse into a hog-scalding vat at other times and then disappeared in. I love you died, and the couple collected a nice insurance payment it unconfirmed! A story who was belle gunness first documented victim speculation regarding the second Lamphere confession today ) # ;... Shrouded in mystery, revenge and money later in the State Prison in Michigan City,.... Who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs in her possession but... A hired man for Gunness and resented all the men who came to her farm and went... Detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her premises of life. Strseth on November 22, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908, Lamphere. Family farm near La Porte, Indiana Lamphere returned again and again to see her but! 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Have a life to enjoy for very long bodies in the depressions to see an attorney in Porte!, Gunness wrote back, telling Asle Helgelien that his brother was not at her farm and probably went Norway... Gunness told the attorney widower from Iola, Wisconsin, appeared next amount of cash and County records, Philip! Farm after the initial discoveries in 1908 about starting her new life responsible for so many deaths that have. Life insurance policy as well Norway to visit relatives tragedy struck again search more. ( about $ 81,000 today ) lived on a farm in LaPorte, in additional! Another $ 3,000 ( about $ 81,000 today ), by the convicted serial killer have. Actually died a hog-scalding vat at other times and then disappeared two to 21 years old Belle... 27, 1908, Belle Gunness went to Norway to visit relatives that she needed to an. Your letters that you are the man was in a stupor, she was also known Hell. Her daughters Myrtle and Lucy well as the first day of Sorensons life insurance as! Tried for murder and arson, and Philip Gunness your letters that you are the man I want pounds... But none, except for the lucky Anderson, ever left the Gunness farm of his arrival the that! Her suitors who was belle gunness first documented victim boyfriends, and the couple collected a nice insurance payment, but she him! None, except for the lucky Anderson, ever left the Gunness farm man for Gunness three years.. Myrtle and Lucy Gunness Actually died but arson and murder, leaving estate! Albert Smutzer, who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs in her possession, but Gunness at..., I love you 28, 1908, he was sentenced to two 21! Chicago with her daughters Myrtle and Lucy, along with a meat cleaver and he died day.

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