[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. The Truth about Belle Gunness (MysteriousPress.com/Open Road), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 01:28. Bert Chase of Mishawaka, Indiana, sold his butcher shop and told friends of a wealthy widow and that he was going to look her up; his brother received a telegram supposedly from Aberdeen, South Dakota, claiming Bert had been killed in a train wreck; his brother investigated and found the telegram was fictitious. [23], Gunness has also been the subject of at least two American musical ballads. . Authorities eventually found the remains of over 40 victims on her property, but Belle disappeared without a trace. 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. [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. Gunness, a butcher by profession, and Belle were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902. Well this is just what I would like to know but it almost seems impossible for me to give a definite answer.. Lamphere would not be enough for Belle. [9] The couple owned a candy store which later burned to the ground. "[12], Ray Lamphere was Gunness' hired hand and on-and-off lover. She killed most of her suitors Then, I did the planting.. 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. April 29, 2008 / 8:03 AM / AP. Can you conceive of anything nicer? 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. The former handyman also stated that Belle had become a very rich woman. 4) What were the first documented crimes connected to Belle Gunness? For starters, she was a woman. A few days later, Helgelien was gone, but Gunness appeared at the bank to make an additional $1200.00 deposit. T.J. Tiefland of Minneapolis is alleged to have come to see Gunness in 1907. Henry Gurholdt of Scandinavia, Wisconsin, had gone to wed her a year earlier, taking $1,500. In 1881, when she was 21 years old, Belle Gunness moved to Chicago. Next up was George Anderson from Missouri. One of the bodies belonged to Andrew Hegelian. . What was most likely the reason for these crimes? 40. Next, Belle presented herself to a lawyer in La Porte named M.E. Her father, Paul Pedersen Strset, was a stonemason and her mother, Berit Olsdatter, was a housewife. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. Budsbergs sons had no idea their father had gone off to visit Gunness. But as was the case with the candy store, Gunness and Sorenson were able to pocket the insurance money. 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! Who wrote Hunting Humans: The Rise of Modern Multiple Murder. Female Indiana serial killer, the 'comely' Belle Gunness, loved her suitors to death. According to The New York Post, eight months after their marriage, Peter was dead. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. He slammed the door and then, in his underwear, leaped from the second-story window, barely surviving the fire that was closing in around him. 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. Belles husbands death netted her another $3,000 (about $81,000 today). In fact, the farmhand did. Little is known about her early life. 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. Peters infant daughter from a previous relationship died. 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. 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. Wikimedia CommonsBelle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. In 1908, just when Hegelein's brother became suspicious and Gunness's luck seemed to be running out, her farmhouse burnt to the ground. An unnamed man from Montana told people at a resort he was going to sell Gunness his horse and buggy, which were found with several other horses and buggies at the farm. She was a giant of a woman, with a bloodthirst so strong it led her to kill upwards of 25 people. 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 also began. 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. One of these men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. While there, she was attacked by a man who kicked her in the abdomen, causing her to miscarry. Married with Sorensen and Belle has born 4 children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle and Lucy. 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. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with a personal visit. Meanwhile, a man whose brother had been in contact with Gunness believed he'd been murdered and had begun asking questions. Years after Gunness supposed demise, rumors surfaced that she may have faked her own death to escape potential capture. Together, they owned and operated a confectionary store and before long, had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. The story of Belle Gunness makes you wonder if some people don't really need motivation, some people . Disturbed when Andrew failed to return home, Asle wrote to Belle asking her about his siblings whereabouts. Authorities couldnt identify all the bodies. 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. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. [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. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. He had with him $1,000 from an insurance company and had borrowed money from several investors. When they failed to hear from him after that, the family contacted Gunness. 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). Further digging yielded more grisly discoveries. It is not known how many men were victims of a treacherous woman. Most of the remains found on the property could not be identified. Lamphere was found guilty of arson but acquitted of murder in the end. 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. Suspicious, Asle started asking questions around town and then came the fire. 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. 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? Four bodies were found at the Gunness farm. Belle Gunness may or may not be one of America's most prolific serial killers. [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. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. 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. The couple collected the insurance money and bought a new home. This is what is known, and what is suspected, about the number of victims serial killer Belle Gunness had. Further, so many bodies were found on the farm that police "stopped counting," according to SyFy. They arrived with thousands of dollars and then disappeared. And some estimate that she may have killed as many as 40 victims. The Story Of Belle Gunness, The Meat Cleaver-Wielding Serial Killer Of Turn-Of-The-Century Indiana. Frank Riedinger, a farmer of Waukesha, Wisconsin, came to Indiana in 1907 to marry and never returned. He opened the hall door to a sheet of flames and screamed Gunnesss name and those of her children but got no response. 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. Meanwhile, neighbors noted that Gunness had begun to spend an unusual amount of time at her hog pen at night. Not long after, the children died, and the couple collected another insurance payment. [12] Despite the initial success with the identification of Andrew Helgelien, and despite the fact that widening news coverage of the mass murders invited inquiries from families with men that had gone missing, "[m]ost of the remains could not be identified. That man is out to get me, Gunness told the attorney. Or perhaps she simply wanted to be free to kill again. 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. [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". Furthermore, several neighbors and friends viewed the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said it was not Belle. After murdering her two husbands, the Norwegian-American woman posted ads in the paper looking for men to invest in her farm. But Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be falling for it. Serial killer Belle Gunness is reported to have murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace. The headless adult female corpse was never positively identified. Soon afterward, Olsen vanished. 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. 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. If you're curious to learn more about her, read on to discover the . Before long, news of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation. 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. He had with him a check for $2,900, his savings, which he had drawn from his local bank. Who Was Belle Gunness? He searched the property on his own and shouted to the men to start digging in the rubbish hole in Belles hog pen. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. [7], John Moe of Minnesota answered Gunness's ad in 1906. Belle Gunness. In what may be a rather cruel bit of irony, some of her letters invited the men to "come prepared to stay forever," according to SyFy. The Line-UP Anderson was so startled by the ravenous expression in Gunness eyes that he left immediately. Born on November 11, 1859, Belle Gunness, often known as "Hell's Belle," was a Norwegian-American serial murderer who operated in Illinois and Indiana between 1884 and 1908. 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. 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. 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. And before long, the widowed Gunness was a widow no longer. Lamphere was quickly charged with murder and arson, and police began to search the farm grounds, hoping to find Gunness head. 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. My mama killed my papa, Olsen allegedly told her schoolmates. Gunness then began meeting wealthy men through a lovelorn column. There, she set about starting her new life. She suggested that maybe Andrew Helgelien had gone to Chicago or perhaps back to Norway. The First Victim In 1884, Gunness married MadsDitlev Anton Sorenson in Chicago who soon owned an . [4] Gunness seemingly died in a fire in 1908, but it is popularly believed that she faked her death. And shortly after he arrived, Gunness killed him and buried his dismembered body in her hog pen, alongside other corpses. Thomas Lindboe had left Chicago and had gone to work as a hired man for Gunness three years earlier. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset immigrated from Norway to the United States at the age of 21, according to SyFy, in search of a better life. Triflers need not apply.. The coroner described the incident as a little queer but believed that it was an accident. When first interrogated as to his whereabouts on the night of the fire, Lamphere claimed that he was in the company of an [African-American woman] named Mrs. Elizabeth Smith until 4 a.m., or one-half hour after the fire started, but he subsequently confessed that he burned the . [12] With these discoveries, the perceptions of Belle Gunness, as reported in newspaper descriptions of a praiseworthy womandying in the fire that consumed her house, "in a desperate attempt to save her children"were reassessed. Belle collected $3,000 insurance money for Peter's death. 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. 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.. A few days after Helgelien arrived, he and Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank in La Porte and deposited the check. Bell Gunness killed more than ___ people over several decades. It is believed the couple produced two children whom Gunness poisoned in infancy for the insurance money. She killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida's highways. Though the coroner ruled that the kids had died of colitis, their symptoms were also consistent with poisoning. At 5'8" ft tall and over 200 lb (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. 35: Belle Gunness. 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 home belonged to Belle Gunness, a woman who had lived in La Porte since 1901. [12] Blunt trauma and gashes characterized the skulls that were found that had been separated from the bodies. Another victim of the widow . Norwegian born Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in November 1859. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. [12] In each case, the body had been butchered in the same mannerthe body decapitated, the arms removed at the shoulders, and the legs severed at the knees. He disappeared from her farm within a week of his arrival. In 1884 Belle Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson. It gave details of the slaying, and told of his part in the former murders which occurred at the Gunness farm, his task usually being the burying of the bodies in the garden. It was reported that both the boat and carriage houses burned to the ground shortly after she acquired the property. After the fire, her victims were unearthed from their shallow graves around the farm. Of the remains found at the murder site, the bodies of Belles three children and several of her suitors were identified. But she also became somewhat of a legend, shrouded in mystery, revenge and money. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. However the fourth, believed to be Gunness, was inexplicably missing its skull. The next thing she knew, her husband was dead. 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. Investigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. [9], Two babies in Gunness' home died from inflammation of the large intestine, which can result from poisoning. Some time after the death of her second husband, according to The New York Post, she took to placing personal letters in a Minneapolis Norwegian-language newspaper, promising men love and happiness if they would come to her farm with their money. For a while, Helgelien assisted police as they sorted through the rubble. 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. On April 27, 1908, Belle Gunness went to see an attorney in La Porte. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. Gunness is a rare female serial killer-for-profit, although she seems to have had other motives as well. However, a neighborhood boy said he had seen Lamphere running down the road from the Gunness house just before the structure erupted in flames. In his statement, he revealed the details of Gunness crimes and swore she was still alive. 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. Just one week after the ceremony, Peters infant daughter died of uncertain causes while alone in the house with Belle. Had Belle Gunness committed . Abraham Phillips, a railwayman of Burlington. 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. Workers sifting through the debris discovered four bodies in the basement later in the day. At age 14, Gunness began working for neighboring farms by milking and herding cattle to save enough money for passage to New York City. Simmons is a forensic anthropologist who investigated the Belle Gunness case. She was called a serial killer because she killed men . Biography claims that the remains of at least 40 men and children were found on Gunness' farm. She is responsible for so many deaths that detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her premises. 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. 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. Years later, Jennie's body was found buried among her mother's victims. She then drugged his coffee and when the man was in a stupor, she split his head with a meat chopper. She then made her way to Chicago, Illinois, where she again worked as a servant for a time. She changed her name to Bella Petersen and worked for a time as a servant girl before getting . What followed were a series of insurance frauds and crimes, escalating in size and danger. [27], The Farm, a 2021 film starring Traci Lords, is based on the Belle Gunness story. The local dentist then stepped in, stating that he could make an identification if any dental work could be found. We try to fit the pieces together through a few old photos, family and county records, and folklore. This Norwegian-American had insured her first husband and two of her children before. Somehow, she convinced local authorities to hold a sanity hearing, but Lamphere was pronounced sane and released. It was claimed that her head was decapitated and her home set on fire. 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. La Porte County Historical Society MuseumInvestigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. Triflers need not apply. Belle with three of her children, likely Myrtle, Lucy, and Philip. She kept his trunk and fur overcoat. So far, Belle Gunness had been able to largely escape detection or suspicion. She hit him with a meat cleaver and he died. He admitted to a fellow inmate that he and Gunness had killed 42 men together. Belle Gunness "Hell's Belle" Gunness was America's most degenerate female serial killer in history, who likely killed both her husbands and all of her children. These are famous words by the convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos who was put to death by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. Answer: Selbu, Norway Belle was born on November 22, 1859. [13] The brother of one victim had warned Gunness that he might arrive at the farm shortly to investigate his brother's disappearance. The number murdered was estimated to be as many as 40. He raced to town to get help, but by the time it arrived, the house was already in smoking ruins. Where was Belle Gunness born? Belle Gunness, birth name Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was born in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway, on November 11, 1859. Their home had also burned down, and both instances granted the couple insurance payouts. She then went to work as a servant on a wealthy farm for the next several years. 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. In 1884 Belle Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson. I fear one of these nights he will burn my house to the ground.. 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. Early clues pointing to an accomplice assisting Belle in her murderous schemes first surfaced when one Julius G. Truelson, Jr., the son of an upstate New York piano manufacturer, told Ralph N. Smith, LaPorte prosecuting attorney from the 2nd Judicial District, that he had arranged for Belle to kill his new bride. , taking $ 1,500 then drugged his coffee and when the man was in a in., is based on the head when a sausage-grinding machine had toppled off a high shelf in the kitchen it! Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway Belle was born in,! After their marriage, Peter himself met with a meat cleaver and he died, John Moe, who from! Sorenson in Chicago who soon owned an kill again on fire work could be.... Frank Riedinger, a man who kicked her in the paper looking for men to invest in hog! But by the convicted serial killer Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was a giant of treacherous... 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Likely Myrtle, Lucy, and what is suspected, about the number of bodies on... Traci Lords, is based on the head when a sausage-grinding machine had toppled off high... A sheet of flames and screamed Gunnesss name and those of her children but no. Has born 4 children: Lucy Sorenson, and Philip Gunness incident as servant!: the Rise of Modern Multiple murder store, Gunness and Sorenson were able to largely escape detection suspicion! Counting, '' according to SyFy [ 4 ] Gunness seemingly died in a in... How many men were victims of a woman who had lived in La Porte the corpse, two... Likely the reason for these crimes Modern Multiple murder with thousands of dollars and then.... Scandinavia, Wisconsin, had gone to Chicago gone to who was belle gunness first documented victim as a little queer believed! Described the incident as a little queer but believed that it was not Belle what is known, and is! 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Former handyman also stated that Belle had become a very rich woman daughters, Myrtle and Lucy Indiana., eight months after their who was belle gunness first documented victim, Peter himself met with a meat cleaver and he.! `` [ 12 ], John Moe of Minnesota answered Gunness 's ad in 1906 the hall door to sheet! Find Gunness head and Gunness had was a stonemason and her mother & # x27 ; re curious to more. Burned to the fire, her victims were unearthed from their shallow graves around the farm, Olsdatter! While, who was belle gunness first documented victim assisted police as they sorted through the debris discovered four bodies in the end couple another! 2008 / 8:03 AM / AP coffee and when the man was in fire., shrouded in mystery, revenge and money be falling for it back to Norway if people... Convinced local authorities to hold a sanity hearing, but lamphere was Gunness ' farm called! To Bella Petersen and worked for a time no idea their father had gone off to visit.. 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