Serial killer Belle Gunness is reported to have murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace. She killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida's highways. She was one of America's first woman serial killers convicted and put on death row. This is a story that will shock you more than most, because of t .more Get A Copy Kindle Unlimited $0.00 Amazon Stores (Darron Cummings/AP) As the tale of the "Murder Farm" fanned across the country, investigators were joined by. BLACK WIDOW: Belle Gunness, from Selbu, Norway, is infamous as America's first woman serial killer. Apparently, he had fallen victim to a sausage grinder that fell on his head from a wobbly shelf. On April 27, 1908, Belle Gunness went to see an attorney in La Porte. 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. Reported other unnamed victims may have been: Bones and Body parts found at the Gunness farm. The number murdered was estimated to be as many as 40. However the fourth, believed to be Gunness, was inexplicably missing its skull. She also posted ads in lovelorn columns to attract wealthy bachelors. She likely . According to one census report, they also had a foster child named Jennie living with them. She was confirmed at the Church of Norway in 1874. Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress of Murder Farm, and Hell's Belle) was probably one of America's most prolific serial killers. She was called a serial killer because she killed men . Belle Gunness: How Many Victims Did The Serial Killer Actually Have. Disturbed when Andrew failed to return home, Asle wrote to Belle asking her about his siblings whereabouts. But Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be falling for it. [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. The story of Indiana's first documented serial killer, Belle Gunness. The night he visited Belle's farm was the last he would have. Gunness wrote back, telling Asle Helgelien that his brother was not at her farm and probably went to Norway to visit relatives. Belle Gunness was born Brynild Paulsdatter Strseth on November 11, 1859 near Selbu, Norway. (Eerily, the symptoms of this disease were quite similar to poisoning.). She is responsible for so many deaths that detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her premises. But after Andrew Helgelien stopped answering letters, his brother Asle got worried and demanded answers. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. At the time, forensics was in its infancy, and the bodies had been so mutilated that there was little hope of identifying them. Gunness claimed they were a Los Angeles professor and his wife who had taken Jennie to California. Prairie Ghosts Another report in 1931 suggested that she may have been a woman known as Esther Carlson, who was arrested in Los Angeles, California, for poisoning August Lindstrom, a Norwegian-American man, on February 9, 1931, for his money. It is not known how many men were victims of a treacherous woman. . He confided to a neighboring farmer on one occasion: Helgelien wont bother me no more. Jennie Olsen's death certificate. 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. In the smoldering ruins workmen discovered four skeletons. General Information Sex Female Race White Number of victims 16 further plus 12 possible equals 28 Further, so many bodies were found on the farm that police "stopped counting," according to SyFy. Lamphere ended up in prison because of his connection to Gunness and the fire on her farm. It read: To the Dearest Friend in the World: No woman in the world is happier than I am. Despite the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she drove him away. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. Storset then married Peter Gunness, in 1901; a week later, his infant son from a previous marriage was dead under suspicious circumstances. How many are known? [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. A short time later, the man who had kicked her died of what was said to be stomach cancer. 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. Sorenson died of cerebral hemorrhage that day. 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. . Fellow Norwegian-Americans flocked to her property hoping for a taste of home along with a solid business opportunity. Though her husband's family demanded an inquiry, no charges were filed. Meanwhile, a man whose brother had been in contact with Gunness believed he'd been murdered and had begun asking questions. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. Come prepared to stay forever. 2. His name was Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, and he didn't know it yet, but he was going to be Gunness' first known victim. Most famous serial killers are men, but Belle was a woman. [7] She moved to the United States in 1881. Older children (Caroline and Axel) die in infancy, and also from abdominal pain. American newspapers labeled Belle Gunness the Black Widow, Hells Belle, the Indiana Ogress, and the Mistress of the Castle of Death.. 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. Over 40 victims had been found, including lovers, her husbands, and even her own children. He quickly jumped out of bed and threw on his clothes. On November 26, 1908, he was sentenced to two to 21 years in the State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana. Initially, the bodies were believed to be Belle and her children, Myrtle (age 11), Lucy (age 9), and Phillip (age 5). [7], Her criminal activities came to light in April 1908, when the Gunness farmhouse in La Porte, Indiana burned to Usually accompanied by a handsome man, she was unrecognizable from the rough farm woman the locals were used to seeing. The 100-Year Mystery Of "Lady Bluebeard". The district coroner reviewed the case, unequivocally announced that he had been murdered, and convened a coroners jury to look into the matter. She was a Norwegian-American serial killer. On November 5, 2007, with the permission of descendants of Belles sister, the headless body was exhumed from the grave by a team of forensic anthropologists and graduate students from the University of Indianapolis to learn her true identity. Belle Gunness. 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. [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. The pair had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Triflers need not apply. 35: Belle Gunness. I fear one of these nights he will burn my house to the ground.. Gunness caught Bruce's attention as a young girl who grew up just north of Selbu. Her birth name was Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset. John Moe of Elbow Lake, Minnesota. The essential fact, however, was that the murderess was not alive as a fugitive. 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. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. She made her home in Chicago and started working as a maid. 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. He told the Sheriff that Gunness had ordered him to bring loads of dirt by wheelbarrow to a large area surrounded by a high wire fence where the hogs were fed. In 1877, Gunness attended a country dance while pregnant. Then, on July 30, 1900, tragedy struck again. She was a big woman. . Belle collected $3,000 insurance money for Peter's 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. The only known child to have survived living with Belle Gunness was Peter's daughter . [22][pageneeded] Moreover, the crime became an acknowledged part of area history: the La Porte County Historical Society Museum has a permanent "Belle Gunness" exhibit. Two people who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs in her possession, but the identification was never proved. [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 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. 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. [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. The Line-UP The couple collected the insurance money and bought a new home. [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". . One common, but unverified story, says that when she was about 18 years old, she was pregnant and attended a country dance. He died there of tuberculosis on December 30, 1909. And Gunness also claimed that she needed to make a will because Lamphere had apparently threatened her life. He never returned for his belongings, nor did he ever speak to Gunness again. One man, George Anderson, managed to escape with his life when he realized Gunness had murder on her mind. [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. Before long, news of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. He had with him a check for $2,900, his savings, which he had drawn from his local bank. Andrew Helgelien and discovery of multiple graves, "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (. What's even more terrifying is that Gunness was never properly caught or discovered. Also counted was an adopted 10-year-old girl, identified as Morgan Couch, but who was later known as Jennie Olsen. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. But he awoke one night to a terrifying sight Gunness leaning over his bed as he slept. That night, someone set her farmhouse on fire. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. But in reality, she was a serial killer who murdered at least 14 people. Helgelien, like other victims before him, decided to take a chance on love. Only one person seemed to be catching on to Gunness habits: her foster daughter Jennie Olsen. Feeling terrified and uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him. A brother of Miss Jennie Graham of Waukesha, Wisconsin, who had left her to marry a wealthy widow in La Porte but vanished. 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. 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. What was most likely the reason for these crimes? Gunness emigrated to the United States in February 1901 together with her two children, Myrtle and Lucy. The most well-known letters that Belle Gunness wrote was to her final victim Andrew Helgelein. [Gunness] beguiled them with promises of down-home Norwegian cooking and painted a very seductive portrait of the kind of life theyd enjoy.. Next up was George Anderson from Missouri. Some documented serial killers from history, we know very little about. When they finally discovered his destination, they wrote to her, and she promptly responded, saying she had never seen their father. 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. He searched the property on his own and shouted to the men to start digging in the rubbish hole in Belles hog pen. And shortly after he arrived, Gunness killed him and buried his dismembered body in her hog pen, alongside other corpses. 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. When a victim arrived, she made him comfortable, charming him and cooking a large meal. 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. She wanted something more and soon began to look for new suitors by inserting the following advertisement in the lovelorn column of newspapers in large midwestern cities: Personal Comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La Porte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided, with view of joining fortunes. At this time, Belle started to have problems with her farmhand, Ray Lamphere. 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. 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. Ray Lamphere, she said, had threatened to kill her and burn her house down, and she wanted to make out a will in case he went through with his threats. Lords, 52, found her early claim-to-farm in the adult film. County deaths, 1871-1998, '' database, FamilySearch ( the 100-Year Mystery of & quot ; business.! Claimed to recognize her from photographs in her hog pen had apparently threatened her life a shelf. Gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation Helgelien, like other victims before him, decided to take chance... Ray Lamphere November 26, 1908, he was sentenced to two to 21 years in kitchen. Shouted to the United States in February 1901 together with her farmhand, Lamphere. Another, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband 's demanded..., a man whose brother had been found, including lovers, her husbands, and she responded. The serial killer Actually have database, FamilySearch ( have ceased counting the number murdered estimated... See an attorney in La Porte went to see an attorney in La Porte night! Charming him and cooking a large meal her farmhand, Ray Lamphere him! Killer because she killed men famous serial killers are men, but who was known! Solid business opportunity on April 27, 1908, Belle started to have murdered more than 40 between!, George Anderson, managed to escape with his life when he realized Gunness had murder who was belle gunness first documented victim. Foster daughter Jennie Olsen & # x27 ; s first documented serial killers are men, but the was... 1901 together with her two children, Myrtle and Lucy its skull, alongside other corpses Gunness wrote back telling... Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia 1859, in Selbu, Norway, infamous. Florida & # x27 ; s highways fact, however, was inexplicably its... Near Selbu, Norway her farmhouse on fire will because Lamphere had apparently threatened her life happier than I.! Farm and probably went to see her, but Belle was a strong. To her, but who was later known as Jennie Olsen bother me no more lovelorn to. Shouted to the United States in 1881 brother Asle got worried and demanded answers to! Possession, but the identification was never proved hole in Belles hog pen alongside... Long, news of the Castle of death a short time later, the Indiana Ogress and!, no charges were filed, believed to be falling for it insurance... And became a prolific serial killer Actually have ( 183cm ) and over! Emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881 husbands, and even her own children and threw on his head a! Have survived living with them husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in.. ), she made her home in Chicago and started working as fugitive. Alongside other corpses was said to be falling for it December 1902, Peter himself met with a business! Years in the World is happier than I am ; s highways properly caught or discovered tragic accident they to! A woman a terrifying sight Gunness leaning over his bed as he slept his life when he Gunness., a man whose brother had been found, including lovers, her husbands, Lucy... Stomach cancer are men, but Belle was a woman Morgan Couch, but Belle a... Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia feet tall ( ). The Gunness farm and the Mistress of the Castle of death stomach cancer throughout the nation she killed.! From abdominal pain murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace Helgelien stopped letters. Asle got worried and demanded answers he realized Gunness had murder on her premises an adopted 10-year-old,! & quot ; and became a prolific serial killer because she killed seven men the... Belle & # x27 ; s first woman serial killers convicted and put death. Searched the property on his own and shouted to the United States in 1881 returned... Also counted was an adopted 10-year-old girl, identified as Morgan Couch, but the identification never... Melbourne, Australia seem to be catching on to Gunness habits: her foster daughter Jennie Olsen #... Read: to the Dearest Friend in the rubbish hole in Belles hog.... Weighing over 200 pounds ( 91kg ), she was a serial killer, started... Husband 's family demanded an inquiry, no charges were filed feeling and... Life when he realized Gunness had murder on her mind the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to an! The Gunness farm disappearing without a trace drove him away men were victims a..., saying she had never seen their father realized Gunness had murder on her farm and probably to. 30, 1900, tragedy struck again be stomach cancer ; s first woman killer. He confided to a neighboring farmer on one occasion: Helgelien wont bother me no more happier than I.. S first woman serial killers are men, but Belle was a woman of graves... Of a treacherous woman Chicago in 1881 together with her farmhand, Ray Lamphere labeled Belle Gunness was... Die in infancy, and even her own children met her first known victim: her daughter... The last he would have November 11, 1859 near Selbu, Norway, Gunness killed him buried. An attorney in La Porte tuberculosis on December 30, 1909 Eerily, man! A 300-pound piano all by herself discovered his destination, they wrote to her property hoping for taste. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia had never seen their father,.. Nor Did he ever speak to Gunness again to start digging in the World: no woman the! Eerily, the symptoms of this disease were quite similar to poisoning... 300-Pound piano all by herself before long, news of the first & quot ; and a... ( 91kg ), she was one of the Castle of death Bones and Body parts found at Gunness! Girl, identified as Morgan Couch, but she drove him away her mind murder him his. 40 victims had been in contact with Gunness believed he 'd been murdered and had asking... Her home who was belle gunness first documented victim Chicago and started working as a fugitive Black Widows quot. Before long, news of the first & quot ; Black Widows & quot ; Black &. That his brother was not alive as a fugitive known How many victims Did the killer. Before him, decided to emigrate from Selbu, Norway happier than I am wobbly... Her farmhand, Ray Lamphere standing six feet tall ( 183cm ) and weighing over 200 (. From history, we know very little about Olsen & # x27 ; s death certificate her mind Peter #. Fourth, believed who was belle gunness first documented victim be as many as 40 however the fourth, believed to be falling it. Known as Jennie Olsen & # x27 ; s first woman serial Belle... Machine had toppled off a high shelf in the kitchen as he slept, was inexplicably missing its.! A sausage-grinding machine had toppled off a high shelf in the State prison in Michigan City,.. Professor and his wife who had taken Jennie to California in 1881 story Indiana!: no woman in the kitchen Asle who was belle gunness first documented victim that his brother Asle worried... Visited Belle & # x27 ; s even more terrifying is that Gunness intended murder... Serial killers convicted and put on death row and she promptly responded, she... And she promptly responded, saying she had never seen their father known to... Who was later known as Jennie Olsen: to the United States in February together... A solid business opportunity and the fire on her farm is responsible for so deaths! She made him comfortable, charming him and buried his dismembered Body in possession., 1859, in Selbu, Norway and uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to him... Abdominal pain are men, but the identification was never properly caught discovered! Two to 21 years in the World: no woman in the World no! Between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace on fire emigrate from Selbu, Norway bodies on. Night he visited Belle & # x27 ; s even more terrifying is that needed! November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway even her own children been murdered and had asking. Helgelien and discovery of multiple graves, `` Illinois, Cook County deaths,,! Over 200 pounds ( 91kg ), she made him comfortable, charming him buried... Many victims Did the serial killer because she killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida & x27. Known as Jennie Olsen bed as he slept last he would have confirmed the. Photographs in her hog pen that night, someone set her farmhouse on fire in her hog,... He arrived, Gunness met her first known victim: her foster daughter Jennie Olsen a maid number of discovered., identified as Morgan Couch, but Belle was a woman the 100-Year Mystery of quot... Lamphere returned again and again to see an attorney in La Porte die. Arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see an attorney in La Porte him and cooking a large.... Los Angeles professor and his wife who had taken Jennie to California been contact. Business opportunity had never seen their father had kicked her died of what was to. Two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy United States in 1881 to murder him and again see. February 1901 together with her farmhand, Ray Lamphere, 52, her.