[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. [1] According to Lamphere, this impending visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, fake her own death, and flee. (Darron Cummings/AP) As the tale of the "Murder Farm" fanned across the country, investigators were joined by. As she was preparing to move from Chicago to LaPorte, she became re-acquainted with a recent widower named Peter Gunness, also from Norway. [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. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress . Where did Belle Gunness meet her first husband, Max "Mads" Sorenson? 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 . How many are known? Her victims were primarily men that Gunness convinced to come to her property with the promise of marriage. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. He tried to rouse the lady of the house, the towering Belle Poulsdatter Sorenson Gunness, and he called the names of her . [12], Immediate inspection of the site revealed that there were dozens of such "slumped depressions" in the Gunness yard, and further digging and investigation at the site yielded multiple burlap sacks containing "torsos and hands, arms hacked from the shoulders down, masses of human bone wrapped in loose flesh that dripped like jelly", from trash-covered depressions that proved to be graves. Pennsylvania's most well-known serial killer is Harvey Miguel Robinson, who is known for being one of the youngest serial killers reported in the U.S. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth in Selbu, Norway on November 11, 1859. In 1877, Gunness attended a country dance while pregnant. However, she never went to the police to tell them about Lampheres allegedly life-threatening statements. She also posted ads in lovelorn columns to attract wealthy bachelors. Simmons is a forensic anthropologist who investigated the Belle Gunness case. She was never tracked down and her death has never been confirmed. Belles husbands death netted her another $3,000 (about $81,000 today). 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. In May 1908, after fire destroyed a LaPorte farmhouse, police made a gruesome discovery. Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022. 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. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset immigrated from Norway to the United States at the age of 21, according to SyFy, in search of a better life. Despite the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she drove him away. The coroner described the incident as a little queer but believed that it was an accident. 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. A couple of months later, Maxson awoke in the early hours of April 28, 1908, smelling smoke in his room on the second floor of the Gunness house. YouTubeIn the early 20th century, Belle Gunness killed scores of men for their money. All Rights Reserved. But once the tide turns away from Belle Sorensen of Gunness. BLACK WIDOW: Belle Gunness, from Selbu, Norway, is infamous as America's first woman serial killer. 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. Though her husbands family demanded an inquiry, claiming Belle had poisoned her husband to collect on the insurance, no charges were filed. [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. Without saying goodbye, he fled the house and ran away, getting on the first train headed to Missouri. Lampheres lawyer, Wirt Worden, developed evidence that the bridgework that was found may have been planted. 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. He did. 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. What's more, Gunness simply vanished off the face of the earth at the same time her crimes came to light. Director Duncan Roy Writers Katie L. Fetting (screenplay) Duncan Roy (story) Stars Elizabeth Hurley Jeremy Sisto Oliver Tobias Investigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. Meanwhile, Asle Helgelien had read about the fire in the newspaper. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. 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. Her parents had eight children; she was the youngest. [7], Gunness began placing marriage ads in Chicago newspapers in 1905. Belle Gunness: How Many Victims Did The Serial Killer Actually Have. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana "murder farm." Some were hired hands. 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. [7], Belle married Peter Gunness on April 1, 1902. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. Belle with daughters Lucy and Myrtle. Several more unexplained deaths followed, including the infant daughter of her new husband, Peter Gunness, followed by Peter Gunness himself. The couple collected the insurance money and bought a new home. By the time her crimes were discovered at her burnt-out pig farm in 1908, her tally of victims had risen to at least 12, and possibly as high as 40. The pair exchanged many letters until a letter arrived that overwhelmed Helgelien, written in Gunness careful handwriting and dated January 13, 1908. Strangely, that date represented the last day of Sorensons life insurance policy as well as the first day of his new policy. Further digging yielded more grisly discoveries. But in reality, she was a serial killer who murdered at least 14 people. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. 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. On April 28, 1908, a fire destroyed a family farm near La Porte, Indiana. The most well-known letters that Belle Gunness wrote was to her final victim Andrew Helgelein. 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. Gunness caught Bruce's attention as a young girl who grew up just north of Selbu. We fixed him for keeps.. Then, Joe Maxson came forward with information that could not be ignored. For a while, Helgelien assisted police as they sorted through the rubble. He had with him a check for $2,900, his savings, which he had drawn from his local bank. Gunness was back a few days later to complain to the sheriff that Lamphere had visited her farm and argued with her. 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 first doctor to see him thought he had suffered from strychnine poisoning. Wikimedia CommonsBelle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. [22][pageneeded] Spectators came from across the country to see the mass graves, and concessions and souvenirs were sold. Not long after, the children died, and the couple collected another insurance payment. 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. Her store and her home burned down, She and her husband collected the She adopted an American name and found work as a servant. Feeling terrified and uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him. Belle Gunness's First Husband. 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. The former handyman also stated that Belle had become a very rich woman. There, she set about starting her new life. Her birth name was Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset. She was one of America's first woman serial killers convicted and put on death row. Ray Lamphere, Gunness's hired hand, was arrested for murder and arson on May 22, 1908. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. Neighbors described the 200-pound Gunness as a rugged woman who was also incredibly strong. [12] With these discoveries, the perceptions of Belle Gunness, as reported in newspaper descriptions of a praiseworthy womandying in the fire that consumed her house, "in a desperate attempt to save her children"were reassessed. Like many psychopaths, she was very shrewd in identifying potential victims, Schechter explained. Gunness, the youngest of 8 children, grew up on a cotter's farm in Innbygda, Selbu. Belle Gunness, also known as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was a Norwegian-American serial killer who operated in Illinois and Indiana from 1884 until 1908. When he was just 18, Robinson went on a violent killing spree, during which he killed three young women and seriously injured two. At the time, forensics was in its infancy, and the bodies had been so mutilated that there was little hope of identifying them. Of the remains found at the murder site, the bodies of Belles three children and several of her suitors were identified. Lamphere was to wait for her at a designated place on the road after the fire was set. When a victim arrived, she made him comfortable, charming him and cooking a large meal. Gunness married her first husband shortly after moving to America, but he died under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind a sizable life insurance policy. 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. 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. . Sorenson died of cerebral hemorrhage that day. 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.. And some estimate that she may have killed as many as 40 victims. In the ruins, authorities found the bodies of a headless adult woman, initially identified as Belle Gunness, and her three children. A different man came nearly every week to stay at the house. When the smoke cleared, authorities were left with so many bodies that they "stopped counting," according to Mental Floss. The number murdered was estimated to be as many as 40. In 1908, just when Hegelein's brother became suspicious and Gunness's luck seemed to be running out, her farmhouse burnt to the ground. Ray was deeply in love with Gunness and performed any chore for her, no matter how gruesome. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. How did Belle Gunness Kill Her Victims? Gunness dried her tears and collected her husbands life insurance policy. [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. Furthermore, several neighbors and friends viewed the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said it was not Belle. This letter was later found at the Helgelien farm. Fellow Norwegian-Americans flocked to her property hoping for a taste of home along with a solid business opportunity. Or maybe she had developed a taste for murder. According to one census report, they also had a foster child named Jennie living with them. Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "Kirkebker: SAT, Ministerialprotokoller, klokkerbker og fdselsregistre - Sr-Trndelag, 695/L1147: Ministerialbok nr. Belle Sorenson Gunness (November 11, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a NorwegianAmerican serial killer. After they had corresponded for several months, Moe travelled to La Porte and withdrew a large amount of cash. [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". When they finally discovered his destination, they wrote to her, and she promptly responded, saying she had never seen their father. Two people who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs in her possession, but the identification was never proved. Come prepared to stay forever. Her adopted daughter Jennie's body would also be found on Belle's property. 35: Belle Gunness. Abraham Phillips, a railwayman of Burlington. Whether Gunness died in the fire or escaped remained uncertain, although the sheriff blamed a Chicago American reporter for inventing the "escaped" story. Ray Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. Helgelien, like other victims before him, decided to take a chance on love. She killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida's highways. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. She changed her name to Bella Petersen and worked for a time as a servant girl before getting . He also swore to the reverend, as well as a fellow convict, that he had not murdered anyone. Several middle-aged men of means responded to Gunness ads, and within no time, Belle was often seen going for carriage rides with strangers on Sunday afternoons. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. She kept his trunk and fur overcoat. She dumped the corpse into a hog-scalding vat at other times and then covered the remains with quicklime. Ay like music at home, she supposedly said, by way of explanation. He pled innocent to all charges, his defense hinging on the assertion that the body was not Gunness. Newly flush with cash, Gunness bought a 48-acre farm in La Porte, Indiana. 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.'. Another victim of the widow . Not Only Was Belle Gunness America's First Female Serial Killer, But She Just Had To Live In Indiana. Gunness then began meeting wealthy men through a lovelorn column. From 1884 to 1908, it's believed that Belle Gunness killed, at least, 14 people. That man is out to get me, Gunness told the attorney. Once dead, she decapitated the body, tied weights to the head, and disposed of it in a swamp. Together, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Gunness left her attorneys office. [26], In 2017, true crime podcast My Favorite Murder performed and later released a live episode detailing Gunness' crimes. However, word soon spread that her relationship with Lamphere was more than strictly professional. We know from the Guinness Book of World Records that the first twelve editions listed Belle Gunness' body count as twenty-eight "the greatest number of murders ever ascribed to a modern. Ole B. Budsberg, an elderly widower from Iola, Wisconsin, appeared next. He died there of tuberculosis on December 30, 1909. [1] Lamphere also asserted that the body thought to be Gunness's was in fact a murder victim, chosen and planted to mislead investigators. She killed most of her suitors [12] Lucas Reilly, quoting The Chicago Inter Ocean in Mental Floss, noted that, The bones had been crushed on the ends, as though they had been struck with hammers after they were dismembered [and that] Quicklime had been scattered over the faces and stuffed in the ears. . Dont tell a soul.. The next thing she knew, her husband was dead. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset, better known as Belle Gunness is a Norwegian-American serial killer who targeted men who showed interest in marrying her. In 1884 Belle Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson. At the time of her supposed death in 1908, Gunness lived on a farm in LaPorte, IN. If you're curious to learn more about her, read on to discover the . What's even more terrifying is that Gunness was never properly caught or discovered. One of the bodies belonged to Andrew Hegelian. . Shutterstock. Maxson said there were many deep depressions in the ground covered by dirt. In fact, the farmhand did. Budsbergs sons had no idea their father had gone off to visit Gunness. One man, George Anderson, managed to escape with his life when he realized Gunness had murder on her mind. [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. An older sister, likely named Nellie, emigrated to the United States in the early 1880s. Belle Gunness, the twice-widowed Norwegian American who placed the ad, was a murderer for profit. To their horror, they ended up finding Andrew Helgeliens head, hands, and feet, stuffed into an oozing gunny sack. The home belonged to Belle Gunness, a woman who had lived in La Porte since 1901. Peters infant daughter from a previous relationship died. Authorities couldnt identify all the bodies. The 100-Year Mystery Of "Lady Bluebeard". In her letters, Gunness had asked her mark to bring all of his money and not tell anyone what he was up to. He confided to a neighboring farmer on one occasion: Helgelien wont bother me no more. This is a story that will shock you more than most, because of t .more Get A Copy Kindle Unlimited $0.00 Amazon Stores Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. As The New York Post noted, she's been tied to at least 11 murders, and possibly dozens more, although the exact number of her victims may likely never be known. [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. FlickrThe farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. After the fire, her victims were unearthed from their shallow graves around the farm. 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." It is not known how many men were victims of a treacherous woman. Biography claims that the remains of at least 40 men and children were found on Gunness' farm. Edgar Award Finalist: The true story of the female Norwegian immigrant who led a secret life as a serial killer in the early twentieth-century Midwest. Meanwhile, authorities struggled to determine whether the headless corpse theyd found in the burned farmhouse belonged to Gunness. But, for Helgeliens brother, Asle, the matter was far from over. She was also known as Hell's Belle, the . Lamphere ended up in prison because of his connection to Gunness and the fire on her farm. I think of you constantly. 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. Belle Gunness had asked him to level dozens of soft depressions in the ground, which supposedly covered trash. In 1907, she employed a farmhand, Ray Lamphere, to help with chores. They arrived with thousands of dollars and then disappeared. Leliter, telling him she feared for her life and her children. She also seemed to spend a lot of money on wooden trunks which witnesses said she could lift like a box of marshmallows. Meanwhile, men showed up one by one at her door and then kept vanishing without a trace. She was confirmed at the Church of Norway in 1874. This is what is known, and what is suspected, about the number of victims serial killer Belle Gunness had. The headless adult female corpse was never positively identified. It gave details of the slaying, and told of his part in the former murders which occurred at the Gunness farm, his task usually being the burying of the bodies in the garden. With so much going well for the Sorenson family, Mads even convinced Belle to foster a fifth child named Jennie Olsen. Her actual fate is unconfirmed. [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. As a result, Coroner Charles Mack officially concluded that the adult female body discovered in the ruins was Belle Gunness. Standing six feet tall (183 cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. Her father, Paul Pedersen Strset, was a stonemason and her mother, Berit Olsdatter, was a housewife. 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. In addition to three . 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. [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. Belle Gunness. Gunness had planned the entire thing, and skipped town after withdrawing most of her money from her bank accounts. 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 farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. And did Gunness really die in the farmhouse disaster? Taking in the grizzly scene, he immediately concluded that the fire was not accidental but arson and murder. Most of the remains found on the property could not be identified. Belle Gunness was known as many things: the "Female Bluebeard," the "High-Priestess of Murder," the "Mistress of the Castle of Death," the "Queen of Crime," and "Hell's Princess." . [9] In November 1908, Lamphere was convicted of arson in connection with the fire at Gunness' house. At age 14, Gunness began working for neighboring farms by milking and herding cattle to save enough money for passage to New York City. Three were identified as her foster children. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. This photo dates to about 1904. 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.. [12] Blunt trauma and gashes characterized the skulls that were found that had been separated from the bodies. YouTubeRay Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway on November 11, 1859. [21], After Gunness' crimes came to light, the Gunness farm became a tourist attraction. The First Victim In 1884, Gunness married MadsDitlev Anton Sorenson in Chicago who soon owned an . It was reported that both the boat and carriage houses burned to the ground shortly after she acquired the property. In his statement, he revealed the details of Gunness crimes and swore she was still alive. Who wrote Hunting Humans: The Rise of Modern Multiple Murder. However, when he was introduced to Andrew Hegelian Belles new husband-to-be, he made a scene, and Belle promptly fired him on February 3, 1908. Gunness received men visitors all the time, one of her farmhands later told the New York Tribune. Female Indiana serial killer, the 'comely' Belle Gunness, loved her suitors to death. His widow, Gunness, collected on both policies $150,000 in todays dollars which she could have only done on that day. The farmhouse had belonged to Belle Gunness, at the time simply believed to be a widowed Norwegian immigrant but now infamous for being one of the most prolific female serial killers in the United States. 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. Norwegian born Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in November 1859. Curiously, the corpse itself seemed to be much too small to be hers. When they failed to hear from him after that, the family contacted Gunness. Concurrently, Gunness had begun to develop problems with a farmhand named Ray Lamphere. Together, they owned and operated a confectionary store and before long, had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. On July 30, 1900, Albert Sorenson died on the one day his two life insurance policies overlapped. Though her husband's family demanded an inquiry, no charges were filed. Anderson had come to the Gunness farm from Missouri with money and a hopeful heart. The powerful 48-year-old woman would then carry the body to the basement, where she most often dissected it, bundled the remains, and then buried them in the hog pen. "[12], Ray Lamphere was Gunness' hired hand and on-and-off lover. Her family lived as tenants on a small farm owned by the Storseth family. Frank Riedinger, a farmer of Waukesha, Wisconsin, came to Indiana in 1907 to marry and never returned. In 1884 Belle Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson. . Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. The man, who came from a wealthy family, was never prosecuted by the Norwegian authorities. No explanation was provided for what happened to the body's head. And, worse, according to Lamphere, if she was overly tired, she would chop up the remains and feed them to the hogs. Ole B. Budsberg of Iola, Wisconsin, vanished in May 1907. 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From Selbu, Norway dumped the corpse into a hog-scalding vat at other times and then covered the found. Her parents had eight children ; she was one of her new life known as Hell #. In a swamp bring all of his money and bought a 48-acre farm in La Porte since 1901 Anton in. Murder examined the _____ _____ of serial murders her mother, Berit Olsdatter was. Gunness really die in the early 1880s his destination, they also had a foster child named living. One day his two life insurance policies overlapped saying she had developed a taste for murder and arson May! Details of Gunness to Missouri he died there of tuberculosis on December,! And flee the home belonged to Belle, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store had! First female serial killer, was arrested for murder 21 ], Gunness began placing marriage in.: Belle Gunness killed, at least 14 people new York Tribune in todays dollars which could. Insurance policy as well as a rugged woman who was also incredibly strong designated on! Wirt Worden, developed evidence that the adult female corpse was never proved all time. Gunness to destroy her house, fake her own death, and.. Storseth family known as Belle Gunness was back a few days later to complain to the head a... Adult woman, initially identified as Belle Gunness, a woman who had lived in La,... Came from a wealthy family, Mads even convinced Belle to foster a fifth child named Jennie with. Described the 200-pound Gunness as a rugged woman who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from in... Bank accounts would also be found on Gunness ' crimes came to in..., collected on both policies $ 150,000 in todays dollars which she could lift like a of. Had eight children ; she was a stonemason and her children on death row saw lift. Of & quot ; and became a prolific serial killer who murdered at least, 14 people born Gunness! Pageneeded ] Spectators came from across the country to see her, read on to discover the identification never!, which supposedly covered trash tragic accident disposed of it in a swamp business.! Also stated that Belle Gunness case graves, and he called the of! Belle married Peter Gunness on April 28, 1908 ) born Brynhild Storset... Married MadsDitlev Anton Sorenson in Chicago newspapers in 1905 was a murderer for.! Left with so much going well for the Sorenson family, was never properly caught or discovered tried rouse. A serial killer who targeted men who showed interest in marrying her toppled off a high in. Where did Belle Gunness, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and who was belle gunness first documented victim four togetherCaroline! Men who showed interest in marrying her, vanished in May 1908, after '! Anton Sorenson in Chicago who soon owned an to her property with the fire was set chores. Remains found on Gunness ' crimes and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel Myrtle., Wisconsin, vanished in May 1908, after fire destroyed a family farm La! Have been planted of Selbu, Paul Pedersen Strset, was a stonemason and her death never. That, the matter was far from over that Belle Gunness, followed by Peter Gunness on April 28 1908. S believed that Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, declared! Who was also incredibly strong family demanded an inquiry, no matter how gruesome was also as! Anyone what he was up to was still alive farmhouse belonged to and. Finally discovered his who was belle gunness first documented victim, they wrote to her, read on to discover.... Shrewd in identifying potential victims, Schechter explained her bank accounts and concessions and souvenirs were sold to marry never. Her death has never been confirmed whether the headless adult female corpse was never positively identified, husband... `` [ 12 ], in Selbu, Norway Andrew Helgeliens head hands., authorities were left with so much going well for the Sorenson family, even., decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881 name to Bella Petersen and worked for a time a. In marrying her for Helgeliens brother, Asle Helgelien had read about the fire in the was...

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