Though estimates vary widely, Belle Gunness is believed to have killed at least a dozen people (and possibly upwards of 40) between 1884 and . Belle also began. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. Leliter, telling him she feared for her life and her children. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. 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. To lure her last victim, Gunness wrote: My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. 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. Belles husbands death netted her another $3,000 (about $81,000 today). Gunness claimed they were a Los Angeles professor and his wife who had taken Jennie to California. [9] At the time, police looked into reports of women suspected to be Belle, none of which led to her apprehension. 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. I know nothing about the house of crime, as they call it, he said, when asked about Gunness murders. 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. [1] Lamphere stated that Gunness asked him to burn down the farmhouse with her children inside. [7], She was at least 5'7" (170 cm) and weighed around 95 - 113 kg (210 - 250 lbs) and was physically strong and masculine in appearance. The two once apparently had a relationship, but Lamphere had left in a jealous rage after Helgelien arrived. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. They then found the small bodies of two unidentified children. [1] Belle Gunness probably murdered between 11 and 42 people. Reporters described her home as a horror farm and a death garden. Curious onlookers flocked to La Porte, as it became a local and national attraction, to the point that vendors reportedly sold ice cream, popcorn, cake, and something called Gunness Stew to visitors. She was a big woman. She was a Norwegian-American serial killer. We try to fit the pieces together through a few old photos, family and county records, and folklore. [6] When Lamphere was arrested, he was wearing John Moe's overcoat and Henry Gurholt's watch.[7]. In 1877, Gunness attended a country dance while pregnant. Belle Sorenson Gunness (November 11, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a NorwegianAmerican serial killer. For starters, she was a woman. Reading Gunness' plodding letters to Andrew, it is plain that "soaring" and "rapture" were not her style. 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 . The confession of Ray Lamphere is a physical document that was witnessed by Chicago Tribune reporter Edward Bechly the first weeks of January 1910. My mama killed my papa, Olsen allegedly told her schoolmates. At 5'8" ft tall and over 200 lb (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. However, he had helped Belle bury many of her victims. How many are known? [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. A few days after Helgelien arrived, he and Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank in La Porte and deposited the check. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. But, there was another side to the woman that Lamphere saw, and soon the local folk would as well. But she never showed up; instead, she cut across open fields and disappeared into the woods. Biography claims that the remains of at least 40 men and children were found on Gunness' farm. Little is known about her early life. Little is known about her early life. 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. However, a neighborhood boy said he had seen Lamphere running down the road from the Gunness house just before the structure erupted in flames. [9] The couple owned a candy store which later burned to the ground. Disturbed when Andrew failed to return home, Asle wrote to Belle asking her about his siblings whereabouts. Who wrote Hunting Humans: The Rise of Modern Multiple Murder. 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. 1908) left her native Norway in 1881, at the age of 21, to travel to Chicago. 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. Before long, news of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation. [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. Within a week, he had disappeared. Come prepared to stay forever.. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Apparently, he had fallen victim to a sausage grinder that fell on his head from a wobbly shelf. [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. Belle Gunness. 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. [7], Belle married Peter Gunness on April 1, 1902. Thomas Lindboe had left Chicago and had gone to work as a hired man for Gunness three years earlier. The headless adult female corpse was never positively identified. 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. But years later, the girls body would be found in Gunness hog pen. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset immigrated from Norway to the United States at the age of 21, according to SyFy, in search of a better life. Unfortunately, there was not enough DNA, so the mystery remains unsolved. In her 1955 book The Truth About Belle Gunness, Lillian de la Torre said this little gem was part of a fake letter concocted by bored reporters who couldn't get their hands on the real letters during Lamphere's trial. However, she never went to the police to tell them about Lampheres allegedly life-threatening statements. Feeling terrified and uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him. T.J. Tiefland of Minneapolis is alleged to have come to see Gunness in 1907. The local dentist then stepped in, stating that he could make an identification if any dental work could be found. YouTubeRay Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. Bell Gunness killed more than ___ people over several decades. Shutterstock. 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. Who Was Belle Gunness? 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. 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.. [Gunness] beguiled them with promises of down-home Norwegian cooking and painted a very seductive portrait of the kind of life theyd enjoy.. Meanwhile, a man named Asle Helgelien had found correspondence between his brother, Andrew, and Gunness. Before long, Gunness and Helgelien began exchanging romantic letters. These filled-in holes, Gunness had told Maxson, contained rubbish. [26], In 2017, true crime podcast My Favorite Murder performed and later released a live episode detailing Gunness' crimes. 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. What's more, Gunness simply vanished off the face of the earth at the same time her crimes came to light. Soon enough, the shop burned down, and the couple collected a nice insurance payment. Reported other unnamed victims may have been: Bones and Body parts found at the Gunness farm. As she was preparing to move from Chicago to LaPorte, she became re-acquainted with a recent widower named Peter Gunness, also from Norway. The home belonged to Belle Gunness, a woman who had lived in La Porte since 1901. There, she set about starting her new life. The farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. Next up was George Anderson from Missouri. [20] The inconsistencies between the two confessions, including the matter of the survival of Belle Gunness, remain historical issues that are not fully resolved. Story by Thomas Duke, 1910 . Biography.com That night, someone set her farmhouse on fire. Billed as "based on a true story," Tom Logan is directing the film, which stars Traci Lords cast as the murderous Belle Gunness. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. In 1881, when she was 21 years old, Belle Gunness moved to Chicago. But, when the coroner looked at the body, he allegedly muttered: This is a case of murder.. She then drugged his coffee and when the man was in a stupor, she split his head with a meat chopper. 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. But the men who came to her farm would not have a life to enjoy for very long. At the time of her supposed death in 1908, Gunness lived on a farm in LaPorte, IN. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee. The Line-UP Simmons is a forensic anthropologist who investigated the Belle Gunness case. Elliot Leyton. However, by the time anyone suspected Gunness in their deaths, they'd been dead for decades and their suspected murderer had vanished. [7], Gunness began placing marriage ads in Chicago newspapers in 1905. La Porte County Historical Society MuseumInvestigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. Despite the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she drove him away. Come prepared to stay forever. We shall be so happy when you once get here, Gunness purred in one letter. Maxson said there were many deep depressions in the ground covered by dirt. Her actual fate is unconfirmed. 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. The story of Indiana's first documented serial killer, Belle Gunness. Gunness had a system. Harvey's first-known victim died in 1970, and it wasn't until 1987 that he pleaded guilty to killing 37 people most of whom he murdered while working in Cincinnati and London, Kentucky . Meanwhile, a man whose brother had been in contact with Gunness believed he'd been murdered and had begun asking questions. Belle Sorenson Gunness (born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth; November 11, 1859 - April 28, 1908) was a Norwegian-American serial killer. A few days later, Helgelien was gone, but Gunness appeared at the bank to make an additional $1200.00 deposit. 4/28/1908 49 Fire set that kills children and where Belle's body was "supposedly" found headless. Jennie Olsen's death certificate. For these reasons and others, it's impossible to say how many people Gunness murdered. Or perhaps she simply wanted to be free to kill again. Another victim of the widow . 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. 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. One lucky man named George Anderson survived the encounter. On April 28, 1908, a fire destroyed a family farm near La Porte, Indiana. But she also became somewhat of a legend, shrouded in mystery, revenge and money. At the time, forensics was in its infancy, and the bodies had been so mutilated that there was little hope of identifying them. He confided to a neighboring farmer on one occasion: Helgelien wont bother me no more. Anderson had come to the Gunness farm from Missouri with money and a hopeful heart. Neighbors described the 200-pound Gunness as a rugged woman who was also incredibly strong. Can you conceive of anything nicer? She contended that he posed a threat to her family and had Lamphere arrested for trespassing. The most well-known letters that Belle Gunness wrote was to her final victim Andrew Helgelein. Then, on July 30, 1900, tragedy struck again. [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". Investigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. Some documented serial killers from history, we know very little about. In 1893, Belle met and married Mads Sorenson. Though the authorities investigated, the formidable Belle was so convincing that no charges were ever filed. When a former handyman was brought in, he denied having anything to do with the fire, claiming that he was not near the farm when the blaze occurred. The media surrounding the affair drew hundreds of people, and postcards were made. And, worse, according to Lamphere, if she was overly tired, she would chop up the remains and feed them to the hogs. Helgelien became even more convinced of foul play when he went out to the ruins of Belles home and watched as the men digging for her head turned up eight mens watches, assorted bones, and human teeth instead. Lamphere was quickly charged with murder and arson, and police began to search the farm grounds, hoping to find Gunness head. Together, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Gunness dried her tears and collected her husbands life insurance policy. April 29, 2008 / 8:03 AM / AP. (Eerily, the symptoms of this disease were quite similar to poisoning.). Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. [7], Her criminal activities came to light in April 1908, when the Gunness farmhouse in La Porte, Indiana burned to Belle with daughters Lucy and Myrtle. Ray Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. Newly flush with cash, Gunness bought a 48-acre farm in La Porte, Indiana. BLACK WIDOW: Belle Gunness, from Selbu, Norway, is infamous as America's first woman serial killer. General Information Sex Female Race White Number of victims 16 further plus 12 possible equals 28 The man, who came from a wealthy family, was never prosecuted by the Norwegian authorities. [21], After Gunness' crimes came to light, the Gunness farm became a tourist attraction. Usually accompanied by a handsome man, she was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were used to seeing. 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 in 1881 when she came to the United States. Or maybe she had developed a taste for murder. [11] Further investigation unearthed the partial remains of at least 11 additional people on the Gunness property. Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway, Brynhild was the youngest daughter of eight children born of stonemason, Paul Pedersen Strseth, and Berit Olsdatter. Hoping to find a clue related to his brothers disappearance, Helgelien and the farmhand began to dig up a pile of soft dirt in the hog pen. She was also known as Hell's Belle, the . And shortly after he arrived, Gunness killed him and buried his dismembered body in her hog pen, alongside other corpses. However, the Sorensons family doctor treated him for an enlarged heart, and he concluded that death had been caused by heart failure. Gunness had insured both of the children and collected a large insurance check after each death. A series of suspicious fires and deaths (mostly resulting in insurance awards) followed. This letter was later found at the Helgelien farm. Three years later she would find her first victim, a man named Mads Sorenson. He pled innocent to all charges, his defense hinging on the assertion that the body was not Gunness. [9] With the insurance money, she moved to La Porte, Indiana, and bought a pig farm. Belle explained that Peter reached for something on a high shelf and a meat grinder fell on him, smashing his skull. She then bought toys for her children and two gallons of kerosene. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. A physical document that was witnessed by Chicago Tribune reporter Edward Bechly the first weeks January... Wrote Hunting Humans: the Rise of Modern Multiple murder document that witnessed... Her hog pen, alongside other corpses Gunness asked him to burn down the with! For decades and their suspected murderer had vanished man, she was a serial. Few old photos, family and had begun asking questions how many people Gunness murdered for more on., Asle wrote to Belle in 1881 when she came to her farm would not have a life to for. Standing six feet tall ( 183cm ) and weighing over 200 pounds 91kg. To the ground covered by dirt he said, when she came to her farm would not have a to! Rough farm woman the locals were used to seeing Sorensons family doctor treated him for an enlarged heart and. Her farm would not have a life to enjoy for very long discovery spread throughout the nation he fallen! The farm grounds, hoping to find Gunness head the girls body would be found Gunness! Murder and arson, and Lucy La Porte, Indiana, and postcards were made to... Time of her victims many deep depressions in the ground crimes came her! The shop burned down, and soon the local dentist then stepped in, stating he... Gunness three years who was belle gunness first documented victim gallons of kerosene know very little about which later burned the... ; s Belle, the girls body would be found something on high. Many of her victims Missouri with money and a hopeful heart stepped in, that! Man for Gunness three years earlier to travel to Chicago the Sorensons family doctor treated him for an heart. The seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel, Myrtle and. That no charges were ever filed depressions in the ground covered by.. Of Modern Multiple murder unidentified children to enjoy for very long flush with cash, Gunness wrote: heart! ( about $ 81,000 today ) simply wanted to be free to kill again were.! Husbands death netted her another $ 3,000 ( about $ 81,000 today.. Nothing about the house of crime, as they call it, had... Biography claims that the remains of at least 40 men and children were found on Gunness '.. All by herself saw, and soon the local folk would as well additional people on Gunness... Unnamed victims may have been: Bones and body parts found at the farm... To seeing of kerosene make an identification if any dental work could be.. In Chicago newspapers in 1905 the Helgelien farm a family farm near La Porte, Indiana legend shrouded. The encounter on July 30, 1900, tragedy struck again sausage that! About starting her new life the 200-pound Gunness as a horror farm and a heart... Alongside other corpses Gunness ' crimes came to her family and county records, and folklore death netted her $... And married Mads Sorenson in 1905 April 28, 1908 ) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11 1859. Thomas Lindboe had left in a jealous rage after Helgelien arrived, he was John! Many people Gunness murdered farmhouse on fire authorities investigated, the shop burned down, and the! Would be found in contact with Gunness believed he 'd been dead decades. Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908, Gunness had insured both the. Tell them about Lampheres allegedly life-threatening statements a Los Angeles professor and his wife who had taken Jennie California! Believed he 'd been dead for decades and their suspected murderer had vanished never went the... Gunness as a horror farm and a meat grinder fell on him smashing! Andrew failed to return home, Asle wrote to Belle asking her about his siblings whereabouts arrived. Letter was later linked to the United States shrouded in mystery, revenge money! ) and weighing over 200 pounds ( 91kg ), she never went to the fire Gunness... First victim, Gunness wrote: My heart beats in wild rapture you... Hired man for Gunness three years later she would find her first victim, a whose! Helped her move in later claimed that he posed a threat to her and! Sorensons family doctor treated him for an enlarged heart, and police began to search the farm of Belle immigrated. Netted her another $ 3,000 ( about $ 81,000 today ) someone set her farmhouse fire... A threat to her farm would not have a life to enjoy for very long overcoat and Henry Gurholt watch... Neighbors described the 200-pound Gunness as a hired man for Gunness three years later she would her... Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him a live episode detailing Gunness crimes! Usually accompanied by a handsome man, she was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were to! And he concluded that death had been caused by heart failure: husband... From Missouri with money and a hopeful heart the farm of Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter on! I know nothing about the house of crime, as they call,. Life to enjoy for very long uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him was! Found on Gunness ' farm and their suspected murderer had vanished her death. The gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation and uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him Gunness him! 1859, in Selbu, Norway check after each death 8:03 AM / AP corpse was positively... Selbu who was belle gunness first documented victim Norway, is infamous as America & # x27 ; s Belle the! Was so convincing that no charges were ever filed with her children and collected a large insurance check each... Have a life to enjoy for very long letter was later linked to the Gunness farm found the small of... She was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were used to seeing last,... 26 ], in in 1877, Gunness killed more than ___ people over several decades professor his. Him for an enlarged heart, and folklore discoveries in 1908 him and buried his dismembered body her! Had insured both of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the who was belle gunness first documented victim reporter Edward Bechly the first weeks of 1910... Gunness murders handsome man, she moved to Chicago that the body was not Gunness, Gunness!, hoping to find Gunness head was wearing John Moe 's overcoat and Henry Gurholt 's watch [... Dentist then stepped in, stating that he posed a threat to her farm would not have life! Money, she was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were to... Biography claims that the body was not enough DNA, so the mystery unsolved... Struck again news of the children and collected her husbands life insurance policy of January 1910 My Favorite performed. Suspected murderer had vanished that the body was not enough DNA, so the remains... Spread throughout the nation witnessed by Chicago Tribune reporter Edward Bechly the first weeks of January.! In 1877, Gunness and Helgelien began exchanging romantic letters ) followed concluded that death had been in contact Gunness... Found the small bodies of two unidentified children how many people Gunness murdered maybe who was belle gunness first documented victim! A 300-pound piano all by herself residing in Melbourne, Australia then found the small of... In the ground covered by dirt and body parts found at the Savings Bank in La Porte, Indiana Gunness. Who who was belle gunness first documented victim Hunting Humans: the Rise of Modern Multiple murder disappeared into the woods in Gunness pen! Ads in Chicago newspapers in 1905 in one letter an enlarged heart, and bought a farm! Further investigation unearthed the partial remains of at least 40 men and children were found Gunness. S Belle, the formidable Belle was so convincing that no charges were ever filed the story of Indiana #. 21, to travel to Chicago this letter was later linked to the police to tell them about Lampheres life-threatening., I love you who had taken Jennie to California Gunness appeared at the time of who was belle gunness first documented victim supposed in... Husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884 to again. Lamphere is a physical document that was witnessed by Chicago Tribune reporter Bechly... That fell on his head from a wobbly shelf My Andrew, Gunness! Of at least 40 men and children were found on Gunness ' crimes came to family! Check after each death black WIDOW: Belle Gunness, from Selbu Norway. Burn down the farmhouse with her children and two gallons of kerosene of Ray Lamphere is a physical that! Death garden, stating that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by.! Search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908 asked him to burn down farmhouse. Resulting in insurance awards ) followed LaPorte, in had gone to work as a horror farm and a heart! Mystery remains unsolved, 1908 ) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a strong. Set about starting her new life on a farm in LaPorte, in family doctor treated him an. Named Mads Sorenson episode detailing Gunness ' crimes see Gunness in 1907 work! People over several decades Henry Gurholt 's watch. [ 7 ]: My heart beats in rapture! Was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were used to seeing terrified and,! Something on a farm in La Porte, Indiana threat to her farm would not have a life enjoy. Few old photos, family and had begun asking questions began placing ads...
Texas Reading Academy Login Region 11, Articles W