Sorenson died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. FlickrThe farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. 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. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. Had Belle Gunness committed . 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. He moved to La Porte, Indiana on January 3, 1908 to be with Belle Gunness. She then bought toys for her children and two gallons of kerosene. 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. 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. At other times, she would wait for the suitor to go to bed and then enter the bedroom by candlelight and chloroformed her sleeping victim. Well this is just what I would like to know but it almost seems impossible for me to give a definite answer.. She was a big woman. La Porte County Historical Society MuseumInvestigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. Belle insisted that a meat grinder had fallen on his head, crushing his skull. She made her home in Chicago and started working as a maid. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth in Selbu, Norway on November 11, 1859. Belle with daughters Lucy and Myrtle. These were lonely Norwegian bachelors, many completely cut off from their families. 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. Their life together seemed to be marked by tragedy. Helgelien, like other victims before him, decided to take a chance on love. How many are known? Gunness, a butcher by profession, and Belle were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902. On July 30, 1900, Albert Sorenson died on the one day his two life insurance policies overlapped. A watch corresponding to one belonging to Gurholdt was found with a body. 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. 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. The will was completed, leaving her estate to her children. Soon enough, Gunness was depositing checks brought by her suitors, while the lovelorn men were never heard from again. Furthermore, several neighbors and friends viewed the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said it was not Belle. Gunness left her attorneys office. At the time of her supposed death in 1908, Gunness lived on a farm in LaPorte, IN. And some estimate that she may have killed as many as 40 victims. [12] Blunt trauma and gashes characterized the skulls that were found that had been separated from the bodies. However, she never went to the police to tell them about Lampheres allegedly life-threatening statements. [8], Gunness married Mads Sorenson in 1884. Then, Peter also died. She killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida's highways. But, for Helgeliens brother, Asle, the matter was far from over. 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. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. In 1881, when she was 21 years old, Belle Gunness moved to Chicago. ; Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American . [7], Her criminal activities came to light in April 1908, when the Gunness farmhouse in La Porte, Indiana burned to All Rights Reserved. Her store and her home burned down, She and her husband collected the 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. On May 22, 1908, Ray Lamphere was tried for murder and arson. He had brought more than $1,000 with him to pay off her mortgage, or so he told neighbors, to whom Gunness introduced him as her cousin. But, when the coroner looked at the body, he allegedly muttered: This is a case of murder.. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in the small fishing village of Selbu in Norway on November 11 1859. [9] With the insurance money, she moved to La Porte, Indiana, and bought a pig farm. Lamphere also cleared up the mysterious question of the headless female corpse found in the smoking ruins of Gunness home. The First Victim In 1884, Gunness married MadsDitlev Anton Sorenson in Chicago who soon owned an . [1] Lamphere also asserted that the body thought to be Gunness's was in fact a murder victim, chosen and planted to mislead investigators. Asle Helgelien didn't believe Belle Gunness' claims that his brother, missing for months after answering the widow's lonely . He had romantic feelings for Gunness and resented all the men that showed up at her property. Some documented serial killers from history, we know very little about. One of Robinson's surviving victims led to his eventual arrest. The media surrounding the affair drew hundreds of people, and postcards were made. 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. 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." Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. She was called a serial killer because she killed men . Before long, news of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation. Hells Belle Gunness was Americas most degenerate female serial killer in history, who likely killed both her husbands and all of her children. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Gunness collected money from both the expiring life insurance policy, and the one that went into effect that day, making a total of $5,000. How did Belle Gunness Kill Her Victims? After they had corresponded for several months, Moe travelled to La Porte and withdrew a large amount of cash. Meanwhile, neighbors noted that Gunness had begun to spend an unusual amount of time at her hog pen at night. 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 he awoke one night to a terrifying sight Gunness leaning over his bed as he slept. Gunness emigrated to the United States in February 1901 together with her two children, Myrtle and Lucy. In the end, she was awarded $8,500 (about $240,000 today), with which she bought a farm on the outskirts of La Porte, Indiana. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. In April 1902, she married Peter Gunness. American newspapers labeled Belle Gunness the Black Widow, Hells Belle, the Indiana Ogress, and the Mistress of the Castle of Death.. In turn-of-the-century Indiana, Belle Gunness (widely regarded as the first female serial killer in the United States) lured wealthy men to her farm where they were never seen again. As they began turning the earth, they found four bodies- skillfully sliced apart and wrapped in oilcloth. Biography.com Serial killer Belle Gunness is reported to have murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace. [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. She changed her name to Belle in 1881 when she came to the United States. Can you conceive of anything nicer? She dumped the corpse into a hog-scalding vat at other times and then covered the remains with quicklime. The home belonged to Belle Gunness, a woman who had lived in La Porte since 1901. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. What followed were a series of insurance frauds and crimes, escalating in size and danger. In the end, Ray Lamphere was charged with arson but not murder. Years after Gunness supposed demise, rumors surfaced that she may have faked her own death to escape potential capture. Belle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. But she never showed up; instead, she cut across open fields and disappeared into the woods. The essential fact, however, was that the murderess was not alive as a fugitive. John H. McJunkin of Coraopolis (near Pittsburgh) left his wife in December 1906 after corresponding with a La Porte woman. She is responsible for so many deaths that detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her premises. Whether Gunness died in the fire or escaped remained uncertain, although the sheriff blamed a Chicago American reporter for inventing the "escaped" story. Some of these were most undoubtedly additional victims, though they were never proven. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. 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. Strangely, tragedy seemed to return to Belle Gunness doorstep yet again. 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. All told, the remains of more than forty men and children were exhumed. Dont tell a soul.. According to one census report, they also had a foster child named Jennie living with them. Biography claims that the remains of at least 40 men and children were found on Gunness' farm. We try to fit the pieces together through a few old photos, family and county records, and folklore. Meanwhile, authorities struggled to determine whether the headless corpse theyd found in the burned farmhouse belonged to Gunness. What's more, Gunness simply vanished off the face of the earth at the same time her crimes came to light. When he was just 18, Robinson went on a violent killing spree, during which he killed three young women and seriously injured two. Lamphere was found guilty of arson but acquitted of murder in the end. Another victim of the widow . Belle Gunness. Gunness then began meeting wealthy men through a lovelorn column. A short time later, the man who had kicked her died of what was said to be stomach cancer. [22][pageneeded] Spectators came from across the country to see the mass graves, and concessions and souvenirs were sold. According to The New York Post, eight months after their marriage, Peter was dead. 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? Triflers need not apply.. On April 27, 1908, Belle Gunness went to see an attorney in La Porte. the ground. 4) What were the first documented crimes connected to Belle Gunness? However, by the time anyone suspected Gunness in their deaths, they'd been dead for decades and their suspected murderer had vanished. On July 30, 1900,[10] both policies were active at the same time, as one would expire that day and the other would enter into force. Apparently, he had fallen victim to a sausage grinder that fell on his head from a wobbly shelf. The idea that the decapitated body belonged to Gunness was called into question, and a farmhand/accomplice claimed that the alleged murderer had taken the money she'd fleeced from her victims and vanished. However, Gunness successfully convinced the investigators that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. In the ruins, authorities found the bodies of a headless adult woman, initially identified as Belle Gunness, and her three children. 4/27/1908 49 Belle writes last will and testament. Sorenson died of cerebral hemorrhage that day. Standing six feet tall (183 cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. In addition to three . Belle Gunness may or may not be one of America's most prolific serial killers. Also counted was an adopted 10-year-old girl, identified as Morgan Couch, but who was later known as Jennie Olsen. No explanation was provided for what happened to the body's head. 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! Usually accompanied by a handsome man, she was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were used to seeing. In the early 20th century, Belle Gunness killed scores of men for their money. Carlson died on May 6, 1931, while awaiting trial. And, worse, according to Lamphere, if she was overly tired, she would chop up the remains and feed them to the hogs. This is what is known, and what is suspected, about the number of victims serial killer Belle Gunness had. He later stated that the expression on her face was so sinister and murderous that he let out a loud yell, and she immediately ran from the room without uttering a single word. She changed her name to Belle Petersen and moved in with her sister Nellie and her husband, who had immigrated a few years before Belle did. He confided to a neighboring farmer on one occasion: Helgelien wont bother me no more. 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. Adopted daughter Jennie Olsen. It was reported that both the boat and carriage houses burned to the ground shortly after she acquired the property. Or maybe she had developed a taste for murder. Come prepared to stay forever.. She was confirmed at the Church of Norway in 1874. But in reality, she was a serial killer who murdered at least 14 people. The First victims. Her family lived as tenants on a small farm owned by the Storseth family. [9] At the time, police looked into reports of women suspected to be Belle, none of which led to her apprehension. Ray Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. Her adopted daughter Jennie's body would also be found on Belle's property. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth on November 11, 1859 in Selbu, Norway. [2] She killed most of her suitors and boyfriends, and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. Afterward, the locals said that Brynhilds personality drastically changed. I know that you are now to come to me and be my own. Not long after Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson in 1884, their store and home mysteriously burned down. We will be all alone with each other. Maybe Belle Gunness needed money. Andrew Helgelien found her ad in the Minneapolis Tidende, a Norwegian-language newspaper. . At first, investigators believed the bodies to be Belle Gunness and her three children: Myrtle, age eleven, Lucy, age nine; and Phillip, age five. So far, Belle Gunness had been able to largely escape detection or suspicion. For these reasons and others, it's impossible to say how many people Gunness murdered. In his statement, he revealed the details of Gunness crimes and swore she was still alive. She may have killed both of her husbands and all of her children (on different occasions), but she is known to have killed . Further, so many bodies were found on the farm that police "stopped counting," according to SyFy. His widow, Gunness, collected on both policies $150,000 in todays dollars which she could have only done on that day. Peters infant daughter from a previous relationship died. It read: To the Dearest Friend in the World: No woman in the world is happier than I am. [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". Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress . Belle Sorenson Gunness, a notorious female serial killer born November 11, 1859 and declared dead April 28, 1908 was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth. Her father, Paul Pedersen Strset, was a stonemason and her mother, Berit Olsdatter, was a housewife. And before long, the widowed Gunness was a widow no longer. 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. Basically, Belle Gunness was a female serial killer who poisoned her suitors and children. Then, in 1881, following her sisters example, who had emigrated to America earlier, Brynhild moved to the United States, where she assumed a more American-style name. John Moe of Elbow Lake, Minnesota. This letter was later found at the Helgelien farm. 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. Jennie Olsen's death certificate. On the morning of April 27, 1908, the farmhand on a lonely property outside La Porte, Indiana, woke to the smell of smoke. [7] She moved to the United States in 1881. Newly flush with cash, Gunness bought a 48-acre farm in La Porte, Indiana. 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. April 29, 2008 / 8:03 AM / AP. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana "murder farm." Some were hired hands. Local people refused to believe that her husband could be so clumsy he had run a hog farm on the property and was known to be an experienced butcher. Her birth name was Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset. Sheriff Smutzer then took a dozen men back to the farm and began to dig, and on May 3, 1908, the diggers unearthed the body of Jennie Olson, who had vanished in December 1906. And Gunness also claimed that she needed to make a will because Lamphere had apparently threatened her life. The couple collected the insurance money and bought a new home. [7], Peter died eight months later due to a skull injury. The couple claimed the insurance money for both. Bell Gunness killed more than ___ people over several decades. The pair had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Not long afterward, their home and the store mysteriously burned down. 4/28/1908 49 Fire set that kills children and where Belle's body was "supposedly" found headless. My mama killed my papa, Olsen allegedly told her schoolmates. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. The low end is 11, to account for her first two husbands, their children, and the children found dead on the family farm. He admitted to a fellow inmate that he and Gunness had killed 42 men together. Recent examination of the body revealed it was likely not Belle Gunness, so she almost certainly survived, having swapped with a decoy. Although her farmhouse burned down in April 1908, seemingly with her inside, some believe that Gunness slipped away perhaps to kill again. 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.. Just one week after the ceremony, Peters infant daughter died of uncertain causes while alone in the house with Belle. Older children (Caroline and Axel) die in infancy, and also from abdominal pain. Lamphere was to wait for her at a designated place on the road after the fire was set. [citation needed][17][18] The Bechly narrative, entitled "Lanphere's Confession" [sic], contains this summary from Bechly: In the confession, Lanphere [sic] said that he had killed Mrs. Gunness and children with an ax, sprinkled the bodies with kerosene and set fire to them and the house. He raced to town to get help, but by the time it arrived, the house was already in smoking ruins. 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. It is believed the couple produced two children whom Gunness poisoned in infancy for the insurance money. She changed her name to Bella Petersen and worked for a time as a servant girl before getting . . When they failed to hear from him after that, the family contacted Gunness. At this time, Belle started to have problems with her farmhand, Ray Lamphere. On-site was County Sheriff Albert Smutzer, who had heard about Lampheres alleged threats. General Information Sex Female Race White Number of victims 16 further plus 12 possible equals 28 Though the authorities investigated, the formidable Belle was so convincing that no charges were ever filed. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. [citation needed], Belle Gunness was pronounced dead, even though the doctor who performed the postmortem testified that the headless body was five inches shorter and about fifty pounds lighter than Gunness. As days progressed and the gruesome work continued, one body after another was discovered in Gunness hog pen. Then, learn about Leonarda Cianciulli, the serial killer who turned her victims into soap and teacakes. Andrew Helgelien and discovery of multiple graves, "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (. Belle Gunness. 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. Stephanie Brooks. Although he almost left, Helgelien became convinced that he couldnt do so without looking harder for Andrew. You, the sweetest man in the whole world. What's even more terrifying is that Gunness was never properly caught or discovered. Best Known For: Serial killer Belle Gunness is reported to have murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace. If you're curious to learn more about her, read on to discover the . 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. [9] The district coroner convened a coroner's jury, suspecting murder, but nothing came of the case. In February 1908, Belle hired another man named Joe Maxon to help her with the farm. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset immigrated from Norway to the United States at the age of 21, according to SyFy, in search of a better life. Together, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. In late 1906 Belle told neighbors that her foster daughter, Jennie Olsen, had gone away to a Lutheran College in Los Angeles. Two people who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs in her possession, but the identification was never proved. Gunness, according to Lamphere, had drugged the woman, then bashed in her head. The two once apparently had a relationship, but Lamphere had left in a jealous rage after Helgelien arrived. The local dentist then stepped in, stating that he could make an identification if any dental work could be found. In the pantheon of serial killers, Belle Gunness stands alone. Belle Sorenson Gunness (November 11, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a NorwegianAmerican serial killer. There is speculation whether it was Belle because the body found seemed too small. 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. They had four children together but two allegedly died of acute colitis. With so much going well for the Sorenson family, Mads even convinced Belle to foster a fifth child named Jennie Olsen. 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. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with personal visit. Ray was deeply in love with Gunness and performed any chore for her, no matter how gruesome. Ole B. Budsberg of Iola, Wisconsin, vanished in May 1907. The New York Post, eight months later due to a neighboring farmer on occasion! Number of victims serial killer between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace an in. We know very little about Storseth in Selbu, Norway in may.... Wont bother me no more insurance frauds and crimes, escalating in and..., Albert Sorenson in 1884, Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson died may... May earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back from. Several friends who said it was not Belle Gunness, according to Belle Gunness went to see the mass,! 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