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. Older children (Caroline and Axel) die in infancy, and also from abdominal pain. Gunness dried her tears and collected her husbands life insurance policy. . And did Gunness really die in the farmhouse disaster? Four bodies were found at the Gunness farm. Curiously, the corpse itself seemed to be much too small to be hers. Furthermore, several neighbors and friends viewed the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said it was not Belle. Sure, I worked for Mrs. Gunness for a time, but I didnt see her kill anybody, and I didnt know she had killed anybody., But on his deathbed, Lamphere changed his tune. The story of Indiana's first documented serial killer, Belle 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. [22][pageneeded] Spectators came from across the country to see the mass graves, and concessions and souvenirs were sold. [7], Her criminal activities came to light in April 1908, when the Gunness farmhouse in La Porte, Indiana burned to Like most of the men before him, Andrew had sold most of what he owned and transferred his money into Belle's account. She was confirmed at the Church of Norway in 1874. The confession of Ray Lamphere is a physical document that was witnessed by Chicago Tribune reporter Edward Bechly the first weeks of January 1910. [26], In 2017, true crime podcast My Favorite Murder performed and later released a live episode detailing Gunness' crimes. [6] When she was processed by immigration at Castle Garden, she changed her first name to Belle, then travelled to Chicago to join her sister, Nellie, who had immigrated several years earlier. Then, Joe Maxson came forward with information that could not be ignored. [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". [22][pageneeded] Moreover, the crime became an acknowledged part of area history: the La Porte County Historical Society Museum has a permanent "Belle Gunness" exhibit. In 1906, Belle Gunness connected with her final victim. But no one at the time chalked it up to anything but a tragic coincidence. Neighbors described the 200-pound Gunness as a rugged woman who was also incredibly strong. I think of you constantly. In the smoldering ruins workmen discovered four skeletons. Helgelien, like other victims before him, decided to take a chance on love. Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Norway, Belle Gunness moved to the United States in 1881 at the age of 22. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. Not Only Was Belle Gunness America's First Female Serial Killer, But She Just Had To Live In Indiana. 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. Then, Peter also died. Or perhaps she simply wanted to be free to kill again. YouTubeRay Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. Her adopted daughter Jennie's body would also be found on Belle's property. In 1884, Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson in Chicago, and two years later, they opened a candy store that was not very successful. He disappeared from her farm within a week of his arrival. And in 1900, their home burned down. I know that you are now to come to me and be my own. [7] Reported "sightings" of Gunness in the Chicago area continued long after she was declared dead. Belle Gunness was born Brynild Paulsdatter Strseth on November 11, 1859 near Selbu, Norway. However, he had helped Belle bury many of her victims. FlickrThe farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. 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. 4/28/1908 49 Fire set that kills children and where Belle's body was "supposedly" found headless. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. 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. So far, Belle Gunness had been able to largely escape detection or suspicion. But she never showed up; instead, she cut across open fields and disappeared into the woods. He had romantic feelings for Gunness and resented all the men that showed up at her property. In the end, Ray Lamphere was charged with arson but not murder. [citation needed] Bechly attempted to convince Schell to allow him to publish this later confession, but was denied by both Schell and Schell's wife. Their life together seemed to be marked by tragedy. ", "Female Indiana serial killer, the 'comely' Belle Gunness, loved her suitors to death", "Day Trip: Step into Historic LaPorte, Indiana; Visit 19th Century Courthouse, Museum, Miniature Horse Farm", "Potempa: Murderess Belle Gunness film starting production in LaPorte", "a book review by C. C. Harrison: In the Garden of Spite: A Novel of the Black Widow of La Porte", https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/317016/triflers-need-not-apply-by-bruce-camilla/9781405945455, Belle Gunness, the Lady Bluebeard: Narrative Use of a Deviant Woman, Only Belle: Bare Belle - En seriemorder fra Selbu, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Belle_Gunness&oldid=1141635952, Articles lacking reliable references from July 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2019, Articles with incomplete citations from July 2019, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from July 2019, Pages using infobox criminal with motive parameter, Articles needing additional references from July 2019, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from July 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Lillian de la Torre (1955). When Andrew left home, he withdrew his life savings from the bank and was never heard from again. The two once apparently had a relationship, but Lamphere had left in a jealous rage after Helgelien arrived. Standing six feet tall (183 cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. ; Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American . Before long, news of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation. Elliot Leyton. And before long, the widowed Gunness was a widow no longer. There, Gunness met her first known victim her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. Come prepared to stay forever.. La Porte County Historical Society Museum. Lamphere was quickly charged with murder and arson, and police began to search the farm grounds, hoping to find Gunness head. [9] The couple owned a candy store which later burned to the ground. Then, on July 30, 1900, tragedy struck again. [1] According to Lamphere, this impending visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, fake her own death, and flee. On November 26, 1908, he was sentenced to two to 21 years in the State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana. She contended that he posed a threat to her family and had Lamphere arrested for trespassing. And, worse, according to Lamphere, if she was overly tired, she would chop up the remains and feed them to the hogs. As days progressed and the gruesome work continued, one body after another was discovered in Gunness hog pen. The night he visited Belle's farm was the last he would have. 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. . Most of the remains found on the property could not be identified. Newly flush with cash, Gunness bought a 48-acre farm in La Porte, Indiana. She got away without a trace and it's still a mystery as to where she went today. This photo dates to about 1904. But, from the start, there were questions as to whether the headless corpse was that of Belle Gunness. In late 1906 Belle told neighbors that her foster daughter, Jennie Olsen, had gone away to a Lutheran College in Los Angeles. Second husband, Peter (Peder) Gunness. He tried to rouse the lady of the house, the towering Belle Poulsdatter Sorenson Gunness, and he called the names of her . No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with a personal visit. Gunness, a butcher by profession, and Belle were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902. This Norwegian-American had insured her first husband and two of her children before. Usually accompanied by a handsome man, she was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were used to seeing. Ted Bundy's reason for killing. 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. 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 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. 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.. 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. Without saying goodbye, he fled the house and ran away, getting on the first train headed to Missouri. As The New York Post noted, she's been tied to at least 11 murders, and possibly dozens more, although the exact number of her victims may likely never be known. [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. 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. Belle Sorenson Gunness (November 11, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a NorwegianAmerican serial killer. These filled-in holes, Gunness had told Maxson, contained rubbish. A watch corresponding to one belonging to Gurholdt was found with a body. To make matters worse, one of Belles children told a classmate that her mother had hit her husband over the head with a cleaver. Dont tell a soul.. One man, George Anderson, managed to escape with his life when he realized Gunness had murder on her mind. If you're curious to learn more about her, read on to discover the . He searched the property on his own and shouted to the men to start digging in the rubbish hole in Belles hog pen. 40. 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. Story by Thomas Duke, 1910 . In 1881, when she was 21 years old, Belle Gunness moved to Chicago. Belle Gunness, the twice-widowed Norwegian American who placed the ad, was a murderer for profit. In 1884 Belle Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson. Gunness then began meeting wealthy men through a lovelorn column. Only one person seemed to be catching on to Gunness habits: her foster daughter Jennie Olsen. 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. Belle insisted that a meat grinder had fallen on his head, crushing his skull. She changed her name to Bella Petersen and worked for a time as a servant girl before getting . Billed as "based on a true story," Tom Logan is directing the film, which stars Traci Lords cast as the murderous Belle Gunness. 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. The local dentist then stepped in, stating that he could make an identification if any dental work could be found. Meanwhile, neighbors noted that Gunness had begun to spend an unusual amount of time at her hog pen at night. [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. Had Belle Gunness committed . The 100-Year Mystery Of "Lady Bluebeard". Prairie Ghosts She wanted the ground made level, so he filled in the depressions. Investigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. Belle Gunness, birth name Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was born in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway, on November 11, 1859. At the time, Gunness did not mention that she was pregnant, despite the possibility that it might have inspired sympathy, and in May 1903, Gunness gave birth to a son she named Phillip. In the ruins, authorities found the bodies of a headless adult woman, initially identified as Belle Gunness, and her three children. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in the small fishing village of Selbu in Norway on November 11 1859. 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. 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