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. 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. One of Robinson's surviving victims led to his eventual arrest. She got away without a trace and it's still a mystery as to where she went today. Several more unexplained deaths followed, including the infant daughter of her new husband, Peter Gunness, followed by Peter Gunness himself. After they had corresponded for several months, Moe travelled to La Porte and withdrew a large amount of cash. Jennie Olsen's death certificate. General Information Sex Female Race White Number of victims 16 further plus 12 possible equals 28 His widow, Gunness, collected on both policies $150,000 in todays dollars which she could have only done on that day. Belle Gunness: How Many Victims Did The Serial Killer Actually Have. Belle also began posting notices in lovelorn columns to entice wealthy men to her farm, after which they were never seen again. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with a personal visit. 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 claimed the insurance money for both. A well-built woman with six feet height and over 90 90 kg, Belle immigrated to the US in 1881. He quickly jumped out of bed and threw on his clothes. Meanwhile, neighbors noted that Gunness had begun to spend an unusual amount of time at her hog pen at night. Olaf Jensen, a Norwegian immigrant from Carroll. Not long after Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson in 1884, their store and home mysteriously burned down. After the fire, her victims were unearthed from their shallow graves around the farm. Lords, 52, found her early claim-to-farm in the adult film. Some of these were most undoubtedly additional victims, though they were never proven. When a victim arrived, she made him comfortable, charming him and cooking a large meal. [7], Gunness began placing marriage ads in Chicago newspapers in 1905. 35: Belle Gunness. She is responsible for so many deaths that detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her premises. [7] She moved to the United States in 1881. [26], In 2017, true crime podcast My Favorite Murder performed and later released a live episode detailing Gunness' crimes. 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. As a result, Coroner Charles Mack officially concluded that the adult female body discovered in the ruins was Belle Gunness. [7], John Moe of Minnesota answered Gunness's ad in 1906. 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. But in reality, she was a serial killer who murdered at least 14 people. What was most likely the reason for these crimes? Answer: Selbu, Norway Belle was born on November 22, 1859. 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. Sorenson died of cerebral hemorrhage that day. 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. Then, Peter also died. Then, I did the planting.. Her foster mother initially claimed that shed been sent to school in California. 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. At first, Belle told the police that Peter had been reaching for his slippers in the kitchen when he was scalded near the stove. She then made her way to Chicago, Illinois, where she again worked as a servant for a time. Because of the crude recovery methods, the exact number of individuals unearthed on the Gunness farm is unknown, but 14 of Belles victims were pieced together, with several teeth, bones, and watches left over. The Truth about Belle Gunness (MysteriousPress.com/Open Road), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 01:28. Second husband, Peter (Peder) Gunness. 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. An unknown man and woman are alleged to have disappeared in September 1906, the same night Jennie Olson went missing. Gunness had planned the entire thing, and skipped town after withdrawing most of her money from her bank accounts. At this time, Belle started to have problems with her farmhand, Ray Lamphere. No explanation was provided for what happened to the body's head. 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. Come prepared to stay forever. The coroner described the incident as a little queer but believed that it was an accident. 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. [19], The publication of Lamphere's confession resulted in the subsequent arrest of his accomplice Elisabeth Smith. 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.. In 1881, when she was 21 years old, Belle Gunness moved to Chicago. In her letters, Gunness had asked her mark to bring all of his money and not tell anyone what he was up to. Mrs. Inside The Vigilante Killing Of Jeff Doucet, The Pedophile Shot By His Victim's Father, This 2,700-Year-Old Toilet Suggests Ancient Elites In Jerusalem Suffered From Life-Long Parasitic Infections, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. La Porte County Historical Society Museum. She killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida's highways. A short time later, the man who had kicked her died of what was said to be stomach cancer. Dont tell a soul.. And shortly after he arrived, Gunness killed him and buried his dismembered body in her hog pen, alongside other corpses. It was claimed that her head was decapitated and her home set on fire. Despite the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she drove him away. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. [7] Reported "sightings" of Gunness in the Chicago area continued long after she was declared dead. He did. 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. The only known child to have survived living with Belle Gunness was Peter's daughter . Standing six feet tall (183 cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. 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. 40. Most of the remains found on the property could not be identified. She made her home in Chicago and started working as a maid. A few weeks later, a reverend came forward with Lampheres confession before he died. Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress . 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. She died of tuberculosis while awaiting trial. 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. 4/28/1908 49 Fire set that kills children and where Belle's body was "supposedly" found headless. But, from the start, there were questions as to whether the headless corpse was that of Belle Gunness. Ray Lamphere, Gunness's hired hand, was arrested for murder and arson on May 22, 1908. Belle began putting the following ad in out-of-state newspapers: "Comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La . Come prepared to stay forever.. Elliot Leyton. 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. (Eerily, the symptoms of this disease were quite similar to poisoning.). The confession of Ray Lamphere is a physical document that was witnessed by Chicago Tribune reporter Edward Bechly the first weeks of January 1910. Adopted daughter Jennie Olsen. Just one week after the ceremony, Peters infant daughter died of uncertain causes while alone in the house with Belle. She suggested that maybe Andrew Helgelien had gone to Chicago or perhaps back to Norway. [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. Over 40 victims had been found, including lovers, her husbands, and even her own children. 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. Anderson had come to the Gunness farm from Missouri with money and a hopeful heart. Andrew Helgelien and discovery of multiple graves, "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (. 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. Can you conceive of anything nicer? Together, they owned and operated a confectionary store and before long, had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Belle Gunness may or may not be one of America's most prolific serial killers. She introduced them as cousins from Kansas, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and from Chicago She was always careful to make the children stay away from her cousins.'. Lamphere was to wait for her at a designated place on the road after the fire was set. Usually accompanied by a handsome man, she was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were used to seeing. Then, Sorensen died, not at all suspiciously on the day that one life insurance policy was set to expire and another had just come into effect. She then went to work as a servant on a wealthy farm for the next several years. [30] It was published in the UK with the title Triflers need not apply [31]. ; Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American . He then sent two of his deputies to dig into the debris digging for the corpses missing head and sent two others to arrest Lamphere. After reading about Belle Gunness, take a look at Judy Buenoano, another infamous black widow serial killer. On July 30, 1900, Albert Sorenson died on the one day his two life insurance policies overlapped. She then torched the small brick farmhouse and fled. Belle explained that Peter reached for something on a high shelf and a meat grinder fell on him, smashing his skull. She told him that she had fired her jealous farmhand, Lamphere, which caused him to go mad. A hired man from Ohio, age 50, name unknown, is alleged to have disappeared, and Gunness became the heir to his horse and buggy. [citation needed] In 2008, DNA tests were performed on the headless corpse in an attempt to compare the DNA in the corpse against a sample from a letter Gunness had sent to one of her victims, but due to its age the sample was not able to be properly tested. In the belief that the headless corpse was, in fact, Belle Gunness, the remains were buried next to Belles first husband, Mads Sorenson, at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. Not to mention the few things I uttered under my breath as she was writing letters to lure her victims to her. 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. 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. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. But, there was another side to the woman that Lamphere saw, and soon the local folk would as well. [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. My mama killed my papa, Olsen allegedly told her schoolmates. [1] According to Lamphere, this impending visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, fake her own death, and flee. She killed most of her suitors [Gunness] beguiled them with promises of down-home Norwegian cooking and painted a very seductive portrait of the kind of life theyd enjoy.. [11] Further investigation unearthed the partial remains of at least 11 additional people on the Gunness property. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. 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. Years later, Jennie's body was found buried among her mother's victims. 1908) left her native Norway in 1881, at the age of 21, to travel to Chicago. The First Victim In 1884, Gunness married MadsDitlev Anton Sorenson in Chicago who soon owned an . Three years later she would find her first victim, a man named Mads Sorenson. When they finally discovered his destination, they wrote to her, and she promptly responded, saying she had never seen their father. The man, who came from a wealthy family, was never prosecuted by the Norwegian authorities. 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. But he awoke one night to a terrifying sight Gunness leaning over his bed as he slept. Her birth name was Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset. 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. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. [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. A series of suspicious fires and deaths (mostly resulting in insurance awards) followed. Gunness, a butcher by profession, and Belle were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902. Belle Gunness, one of the most successful murderers in Illinois. [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. The will was completed, leaving her estate to her children. 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. They collected on life insurance policies for both children. On the morning of April 27, 1908, the farmhand on a lonely property outside La Porte, Indiana, woke to the smell of smoke. 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. 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. .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 ground. [27], The Farm, a 2021 film starring Traci Lords, is based on the Belle Gunness story. In 1907, she employed a farmhand, Ray Lamphere, to help with chores. Their home had also burned down, and both instances granted the couple insurance payouts. After murdering her two husbands, the Norwegian-American woman posted ads in the paper looking for men to invest in her farm. Belle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. However, The New York Post suggests that she may have killed as many as 28 people, while Mental Floss claims that she killed "at least 20." When authorities dug around the hog pens and other places on the farm, they found the mutilated remains of several more men and children. He was jealous of the many men who arrived at court his employer and had endured most of these attentive strangers up to this time. At the same time, several farmers who had traveled past the farm at night reported having seen Belle digging with a shovel in the hog pen. She was a big woman. Also counted was an adopted 10-year-old girl, identified as Morgan Couch, but who was later known as Jennie Olsen. 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. [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. One of these men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. She then drugged his coffee and when the man was in a stupor, she split his head with a meat chopper. However, Gunness successfully convinced the investigators that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Belles husbands death netted her another $3,000 (about $81,000 today). She wanted the ground made level, so he filled in the depressions. Triflers need not apply. [21], After Gunness' crimes came to light, the Gunness farm became a tourist attraction. Norwegian born Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in November 1859. One lucky man named George Anderson survived the encounter. April 29, 2008 / 8:03 AM / AP. The First victims. She told them Gurholt had gone off with horse traders to Chicago. And before long, the widowed Gunness was a widow no longer. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Authorities couldnt identify all the bodies. 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, authorities struggled to determine whether the headless corpse theyd found in the burned farmhouse belonged to Gunness. . Simmons is a forensic anthropologist who investigated the Belle Gunness case. She was the only child to have survived to live with Belle. 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. Belle Gunness had asked him to level dozens of soft depressions in the ground, which supposedly covered trash. 3) What groups of people were Gunness' victims? Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. This letter was later found at the Helgelien farm. Who wrote Hunting Humans: The Rise of Modern Multiple Murder. Wikimedia CommonsBelle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. She immigrated to the United States, where she lured her victims to her remote farm in Indiana. The next thing she knew, her husband was dead. Whether Gunness died in the fire or escaped remained uncertain, although the sheriff blamed a Chicago American reporter for inventing the "escaped" story. Then, on July 30, 1900, tragedy struck again. Director Duncan Roy Writers Katie L. Fetting (screenplay) Duncan Roy (story) Stars Elizabeth Hurley Jeremy Sisto Oliver Tobias Maybe Belle Gunness needed money. Belle with daughters Lucy and Myrtle. Astrological Sign: Sagittarius, Death Year: 1930, Article Title: Belle Gunness Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/belle-gunness, Publisher: A&E Television Networks, Last Updated: March 18, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. FlickrThe farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. In 1884 Belle Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson. . But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. She changed her name to Belle in 1881 when she came to the United States. Years after Gunness supposed demise, rumors surfaced that she may have faked her own death to escape potential capture. 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. True-crime author Harold Schechter first ran across the name Belle Gunness more than 10 years ago while researching a different book, but he could never get out of his mind the lurid details of her crimespoisoning and chopping up a succession of victimsbefore possibly disappearing. [13] The brother of one victim had warned Gunness that he might arrive at the farm shortly to investigate his brother's disappearance. Their life together seemed to be marked by tragedy. 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. Of the remains found at the murder site, the bodies of Belles three children and several of her suitors were identified. Further digging yielded more grisly discoveries. In 1881, at the age of 21, Brynhild left Norway and settled in Chicago. But Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be falling for it. The 100-Year Mystery Of "Lady Bluebeard". She was also known as Hell's Belle, the . 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. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. By now, Gunness had purchased a farm in La Porte, Indiana. 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. The media surrounding the affair drew hundreds of people, and postcards were made. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. Not Only Was Belle Gunness America's First Female Serial Killer, But She Just Had To Live In Indiana. Story by Thomas Duke, 1910 . But, for Helgeliens brother, Asle, the matter was far from over. She would spike their coffee, bash their heads in, cut up their bodies, and put them in sacks, he explained. [8], Gunness married Mads Sorenson in 1884. [9], Two babies in Gunness' home died from inflammation of the large intestine, which can result from poisoning. [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. Female Serial Killer Belle Gunness . An older sister, likely named Nellie, emigrated to the United States in the early 1880s. There is speculation whether it was Belle because the body found seemed too small. Gunness emigrated to the United States in February 1901 together with her two children, Myrtle and Lucy. Gunness, according to Lamphere, had drugged the woman, then bashed in her head. 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. Meanwhile, a man named Asle Helgelien had found correspondence between his brother, Andrew, and Gunness. However, he had helped Belle bury many of her victims. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. A few days later, Helgelien was gone, but Gunness appeared at the bank to make an additional $1200.00 deposit. 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. My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. Although her farmhouse burned down in April 1908, seemingly with her inside, some believe that Gunness slipped away perhaps to kill again. The former handyman also stated that Belle had become a very rich woman. The Line-UP She also posted ads in lovelorn columns to attract wealthy bachelors. [1] Lamphere stated that Gunness asked him to burn down the farmhouse with her children inside. Gunness was back a few days later to complain to the sheriff that Lamphere had visited her farm and argued with her. 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. [23], Gunness has also been the subject of at least two American musical ballads. But did Lamphere actually cause the fire? An autopsy was considered unnecessary because the death was not thought suspicious. Authorities eventually found the remains of over 40 victims on her property, but Belle disappeared without a trace. Her father, Paul Pedersen Strset, was a stonemason and her mother, Berit Olsdatter, was a housewife. There, Gunness met her first known victim her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. Brynhild P. Strseth was born in Norway in 1859 to a stone-mason and his wife. She was one of America's first woman serial killers convicted and put on death row. 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. Though her husbands family demanded an inquiry, claiming Belle had poisoned her husband to collect on the insurance, no charges were filed. I fear one of these nights he will burn my house to the ground.. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. The story of Indiana's first documented serial killer, Belle Gunness. [7], Belle married Peter Gunness on April 1, 1902. So far, Belle Gunness had been able to largely escape detection or suspicion. According to Harold Schechter, a true-crime author who wrote Hells Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men, Gunness knew exactly how to lure her victims onto her farm.
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