She is responsible for so many deaths that detectives have ceased counting the number of bodies discovered on her premises. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. [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. Lamphere was arrested and charged with murder, with his cries of innocence falling on deaf ears. Between 1884 and 1908, the Norwegian immigrant is believed to have slain over 40 people in Chicago, Illinois, and La Porte, Indiana, profiting from insurance claims and other scams before disappearing without a trace. Meanwhile, a man whose brother had been in contact with Gunness believed he'd been murdered and had begun asking questions. Somehow, she convinced local authorities to hold a sanity hearing, but Lamphere was pronounced sane and released. Helgelien became even more convinced of foul play when he went out to the ruins of Belles home and watched as the men digging for her head turned up eight mens watches, assorted bones, and human teeth instead. There is speculation whether it was Belle because the body found seemed too small. General Information Sex Female Race White Number of victims 16 further plus 12 possible equals 28 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. The daughter of a stonemason, Gunness immigrated to the United States in 1881 in search of wealth. What followed were a series of insurance frauds and crimes, escalating in size and danger. Storset then married Peter Gunness, in 1901; a week later, his infant son from a previous marriage was dead under suspicious circumstances. 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. To their horror, they ended up finding Andrew Helgeliens head, hands, and feet, stuffed into an oozing gunny sack. Gunness claimed that Sorenson had come home with a headache, and she had given him quinine. Gunness deflected. Belle wore the finest clothing on those occasions, and her hair was adorned in the latest style. Then, the farm became something of a tourist attraction, with thousands of gawkers turning up and in some cases, taking souvenirs, according to The New York Post. 4) What were the first documented crimes connected to Belle Gunness? [1] Lamphere stated that Gunness asked him to burn down the farmhouse with her children inside. But, for Helgeliens brother, Asle, the matter was far from over. Belle Sorenson Gunness (born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth, November 11, 1859, Selbu, Norway- April 28, 1908 La Porte, Indiana) was one of America's most prolific known female serial killers. As the investigation was ongoing, Asle Helgelien arrived in La Porte from South Dakota and told Sheriff Smutzer that he believed his brother, Andrew, had met with foul play at Gunnesss hands. Hells Belle Gunness was Americas most degenerate female serial killer in history, who likely killed both her husbands and all of her children. 1908) left her native Norway in 1881, at the age of 21, to travel to Chicago. However, by the time anyone suspected Gunness in their deaths, they'd been dead for decades and their suspected murderer had vanished. (Darron Cummings/AP) As the tale of the "Murder Farm" fanned across the country, investigators were joined by. Elliot Leyton. The will was completed, leaving her estate to her children. Belle Gunness was born Brynild Paulsdatter Strseth on November 11, 1859 near Selbu, Norway. Adopted daughter Jennie Olsen. Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Belle Gunness, Birth Year: 1859, Birth date: November 22, 1859, Birth City: Selbu, Birth Country: Norway. [21], After Gunness' crimes came to light, the Gunness farm became a tourist attraction. [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. 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. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset, better known as Belle Gunness is a Norwegian-American serial killer who targeted men who showed interest in marrying her. We try to fit the pieces together through a few old photos, family and county records, and folklore. Maybe Belle Gunness needed money. socioeconomic status. She was one of America's first woman serial killers convicted and put on death row. The Line-UP And she was different in another way as well. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in the small fishing village of Selbu in Norway on November 11 1859. 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. His widow, Gunness, collected on both policies $150,000 in todays dollars which she could have only done on that day. 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. Her parents had eight children; she was the youngest. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. Bell Gunness killed more than ___ people over several decades. But in reality, she was a serial killer who murdered at least 14 people. 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. Despite the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she drove him away. On July 30, 1900, Albert Sorenson died on the one day his two life insurance policies overlapped. We shall be so happy when you once get here, Gunness purred in one letter. One man, George Anderson, managed to escape with his life when he realized Gunness had murder on her mind. Belle Gunness, also known as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strset, was a Norwegian-American serial killer who operated in Illinois and Indiana from 1884 until 1908. While there, she was attacked by a man who kicked her in the abdomen, causing her to miscarry. In his statement, he revealed the details of Gunness crimes and swore she was still alive. 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. A few days after Helgelien arrived, he and Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank in La Porte and deposited the check. This letter was later found at the Helgelien farm. Dont tell a soul.. From 1884 to 1908, it's believed that Belle Gunness killed, at least, 14 people. Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Norway, Belle Gunness moved to the United States in 1881 at the age of 22. She would spike their coffee, bash their heads in, cut up their bodies, and put them in sacks, he explained. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. Then, learn about Leonarda Cianciulli, the serial killer who turned her victims into soap and teacakes. He admitted to a fellow inmate that he and Gunness had killed 42 men together. 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. Belle Gunness: How Many Victims Did The Serial Killer Actually Have. Jennies body would later be found buried on her adoptive mothers property. [citation needed][14] However, a separate newspaper published a story with speculation regarding the second Lamphere confession. 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. 35: Belle Gunness. It remains unconfirmed when and where Belle Gunness actually died. These were lonely Norwegian bachelors, many completely cut off from their families. Workers sifting through the debris discovered four bodies in the basement later in the day. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. Jennie Olsen's death certificate. The two once apparently had a relationship, but Lamphere had left in a jealous rage after Helgelien arrived. In the ruins, authorities found the bodies of a headless adult woman, initially identified as Belle Gunness, and her three children. However, Gunness successfully convinced the investigators that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. . Belle had lured this woman from Chicago on the pretense of hiring her as a housekeeper only days before she decided to make her permanent escape from La Porte. She immigrated to the United States, where she lured her victims to her remote farm in Indiana. Further digging yielded more grisly discoveries. 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. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. 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 . We fixed him for keeps.. 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." . She murdered over 40 people between 1884 and 1908 (1). He died in prison, but not before revealing the truth about Belle Gunness and her crimes, including burning her own house down -- the body that was recovered was not hers. [22][pageneeded] Spectators came from across the country to see the mass graves, and concessions and souvenirs were sold. DESCRIPTION: "Belle Gunness was a lady fair In Indiana State, She weighed about 300 pounds, And that is quite some weight." "Her favorite occupation Was a-butchering of men." "Now some say Belle killed only ten, And some say 42." At last she vanishes with the cash AUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (Burt-AmericanMurderBallads) [7], Belle married Peter Gunness on April 1, 1902. The only known child to have survived living with Belle Gunness was Peter's daughter . Lamphere was to wait for her at a designated place on the road after the fire was set. When they failed to hear from him after that, the family contacted Gunness. Belle Gunness. Brynhild P. Strseth was born in Norway in 1859 to a stone-mason and his wife. 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. 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. Or maybe she had developed a taste for murder. Though her husband's family demanded an inquiry, no charges were filed. Belle Sorenson Gunness, a notorious female serial killer born November 11, 1859 and declared dead April 28, 1908 was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth. Frank Riedinger, a farmer of Waukesha, Wisconsin, came to Indiana in 1907 to marry and never returned. No explanation was provided for what happened to the body's head. Her foster mother initially claimed that shed been sent to school in California. We will be all alone with each other. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. [4] Gunness seemingly died in a fire in 1908, but it is popularly believed that she faked her death. How many are known? [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. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with personal visit. 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. That night, someone set her farmhouse on fire. 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. Soon after, Sorenson died of heart failure on the one day his two life insurance policies overlapped. But once the tide turns away from Belle Sorensen of Gunness. She changed her name to Bella Petersen and worked for a time as a servant girl before getting . Gunness had insured both of the children and collected a large insurance check after each death. John H. McJunkin of Coraopolis (near Pittsburgh) left his wife in December 1906 after corresponding with a La Porte woman. Soon enough, Gunness was depositing checks brought by her suitors, while the lovelorn men were never heard from again. Caroline and Axel died as infants from acute colitis, the symptoms of which nausea, fever, diarrhea, and lower abdominal pain and cramping are also symptoms of many forms of poisoning. Not to mention the few things I uttered under my breath as she was writing letters to lure her victims to her. 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. 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. Ray was deeply in love with Gunness and performed any chore for her, no matter how gruesome. Come prepared to stay forever.. 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. Apparently, he had fallen victim to a sausage grinder that fell on his head from a wobbly shelf. 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. When authorities dug around the hog pens and other places on the farm, they found the mutilated remains of several more men and children. She suggested that maybe Andrew Helgelien had gone to Chicago or perhaps back to Norway. There, she set about starting her new life. In fact, the farmhand did. So far, Belle Gunness had been able to largely escape detection or suspicion. As days progressed and the gruesome work continued, one body after another was discovered in Gunness hog pen. Authorities eventually found the remains of over 40 victims on her property, but Belle disappeared without a trace. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. A few days later, Helgelien was gone, but Gunness appeared at the bank to make an additional $1200.00 deposit. He slammed the door and then, in his underwear, leaped from the second-story window, barely surviving the fire that was closing in around him. A series of suspicious fires and deaths (mostly resulting in insurance awards) followed. Most famous serial killers are men, but Belle was a woman. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. 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. In 1881, at the age of 21, Brynhild left Norway and settled in Chicago. 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. 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.'. Strangely, that date represented the last day of Sorensons life insurance policy as well as the first day of his new policy. Budsbergs sons had no idea their father had gone off to visit Gunness. Concurrently, Gunness had begun to develop problems with a farmhand named Ray Lamphere. At the age of 22, she immigrated to Chicago, Illinois in 1881.She murdered over 40 people including two of her husbands and about 4 of her children. Whether Gunness died in the fire or escaped remained uncertain, although the sheriff blamed a Chicago American reporter for inventing the "escaped" story. Story by Thomas Duke, 1910 . There, Gunness met her first known victim her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. 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. However, he had helped Belle bury many of her victims. In June 1908, his widow was able to identify his remains from La Portes Paupers cemetery by the contour of his skull and three missing teeth. She also chloroformed her children, smothered them to death, and carried them to the basement. Belle explained that Peter reached for something on a high shelf and a meat grinder fell on him, smashing his skull. She adopted an American name and found work as a servant. For starters, she was a woman. Well this is just what I would like to know but it almost seems impossible for me to give a definite answer.. In her letters, Gunness had asked her mark to bring all of his money and not tell anyone what he was up to. And in 1900, their home burned down. Belle Gunness had asked him to level dozens of soft depressions in the ground, which supposedly covered trash. Four bodies were found at the Gunness farm. For a while, Helgelien assisted police as they sorted through the rubble. These are famous words by the convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos who was put to death by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. Little is known about her early life. This is a story that will shock you more than most, because of t .more Get A Copy Kindle Unlimited $0.00 Amazon Stores He quickly jumped out of bed and threw on his clothes. Also unclear is how many victims Gunness had killed. 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