who was belle gunness first documented victim

But she never showed up; instead, she cut across open fields and disappeared into the woods. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. Soon enough, Gunness was depositing checks brought by her suitors, while the lovelorn men were never heard from again. Feeling terrified and uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him. 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. Just one week after the ceremony, Peters infant daughter died of uncertain causes while alone in the house with Belle. When the smoke cleared, authorities were left with so many bodies that they "stopped counting," according to Mental Floss. Soon after, Sorenson died of heart failure on the one day his two life insurance policies overlapped. Serial killer Belle Gunness is reported to have murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace. 40. Eerily, in 1931, a woman named Esther Carlson was arrested in Los Angeles for poisoning a Norwegian-American man and attempting to steal his money. They collected on life insurance policies for both children. Belle explained that Peter reached for something on a high shelf and a meat grinder fell on him, smashing his skull. According to The New York Post, eight months after their marriage, Peter was dead. Older children (Caroline and Axel) die in infancy, and also from abdominal pain. The story of Belle Gunness makes you wonder if some people don't really need motivation, some people . By the time she disappeared, he estimated that she had accumulated more than $250,000 through her murder schemes over the years a considerable fortune for those days (about $6.7 million today). Lamphere would not be enough for Belle. 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. Billed as "based on a true story," Tom Logan is directing the film, which stars Traci Lords cast as the murderous Belle Gunness. Standing six feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds, she was a physically strong woman. Then, Peter also died. [28], Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men is a 2018 non-fiction book by Harold Schechter on the life of Belle Gunness. [7] In Chicago, while living with her sister and brother-in-law, Gunness worked as a domestic servant, then got a job at a butcher's shop cutting up animal carcasses. Biography.com A few weeks later, a reverend came forward with Lampheres confession before he died. No explanation was provided for what happened to the body's head. For a while, Helgelien assisted police as they sorted through the rubble. A series of suspicious fires and deaths (mostly resulting in insurance awards) followed. 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. 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. Somehow, she convinced local authorities to hold a sanity hearing, but Lamphere was pronounced sane and released. That man is out to get me, Gunness told the attorney. Standing six feet tall (183 cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. Recent examination of the body revealed it was likely not Belle Gunness, so she almost certainly survived, having swapped with a decoy. Strangely, tragedy seemed to return to Belle Gunness doorstep yet again. 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. However, he had helped Belle bury many of her victims. Despite the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she drove him away. I know that you are now to come to me and be my own. Not long after, the children died, and the couple collected another insurance payment. [11] Further investigation unearthed the partial remains of at least 11 additional people on the Gunness property. Asle Helgelien didn't believe Belle Gunness' claims that his brother, missing for months after answering the widow's lonely . She died of tuberculosis while awaiting trial. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. Their home had also burned down, and both instances granted the couple insurance payouts. Belle Gunness stood six foot tall and had a hard look to her strong face. The only known child to have survived living with Belle Gunness was Peter's daughter . The story of Indiana's first documented serial killer, Belle Gunness. Elliot Leyton. In April 1902, she married Peter Gunness. 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. Lampheres lawyer, Wirt Worden, developed evidence that the bridgework that was found may have been planted. Together, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Reading Gunness' plodding letters to Andrew, it is plain that "soaring" and "rapture" were not her style. [7], Peter died eight months later due to a skull injury. They then found the small bodies of two unidentified children. 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. Years after Gunness supposed demise, rumors surfaced that she may have faked her own death to escape potential capture. Once dead, she decapitated the body, tied weights to the head, and disposed of it in a swamp. [7], Belle married Peter Gunness on April 1, 1902. 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. At the time, Gunness did not mention that she was pregnant, despite the possibility that it might have inspired sympathy, and in May 1903, Gunness gave birth to a son she named Phillip. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. Belle Sorenson Gunness (November 11, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a NorwegianAmerican serial killer. He had romantic feelings for Gunness and resented all the men that showed up at her property. 4) What were the first documented crimes connected to Belle Gunness? We will be all alone with each other. 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. Meanwhile, authorities struggled to determine whether the headless corpse theyd found in the burned farmhouse belonged to Gunness. Dont tell a soul.. It was initially hoped that a sealed envelope flap on a letter found at the victims farm would contain enough DNA to be compared to that of the body. It remains unconfirmed when and where Belle Gunness actually died. But after Andrew Helgelien stopped answering letters, his brother Asle got worried and demanded answers. However, Gunness successfully convinced the investigators that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. La Porte County Historical Society MuseumInvestigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries in 1908. However the fourth, believed to be Gunness, was inexplicably missing its skull. [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. She made her home in Chicago and started working as a maid. He then sent two of his deputies to dig into the debris digging for the corpses missing head and sent two others to arrest Lamphere. Belle had anywhere from 13 to 42 victims. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. A hired man from Ohio, age 50, name unknown, is alleged to have disappeared, and Gunness became the heir to his horse and buggy. 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. But they could identify Jennie Olsen Gunness foster daughter who had left for California. And it soon became clear that Gunness was behind some horrific crimes. Gunness, according to Lamphere, had drugged the woman, then bashed in her head. [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". 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. We fixed him for keeps.. He was found guilty of arson, but cleared of murder. Belle Gunness had asked him to level dozens of soft depressions in the ground, which supposedly covered trash. It read: To the Dearest Friend in the World: No woman in the world is happier than I am. She was also known as Hell's Belle, the . 2. Carlson died on May 6, 1931, while awaiting trial. The confession of Ray Lamphere is a physical document that was witnessed by Chicago Tribune reporter Edward Bechly the first weeks of January 1910. Gunness, a butcher by profession, and Belle were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902. . Belle Gunness left Chicago with her daughters Myrtle and Lucy, along with a foster daughter named Jennie Olsen. Curiously, the corpse itself seemed to be much too small to be hers. [citation needed][14] However, a separate newspaper published a story with speculation regarding the second Lamphere confession. Neighbors gossiped about the babies, since Gunness never appeared to be pregnant. An older sister, likely named Nellie, emigrated to the United States in the early 1880s. Furthermore, several neighbors and friends viewed the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said it was not Belle. Reporters described her home as a horror farm and a death garden. Curious onlookers flocked to La Porte, as it became a local and national attraction, to the point that vendors reportedly sold ice cream, popcorn, cake, and something called Gunness Stew to visitors. On November 26, 1908, he was sentenced to two to 21 years in the State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana. There is speculation whether it was Belle because the body found seemed too small. 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. On-site was County Sheriff Albert Smutzer, who had heard about Lampheres alleged threats. The pair had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. She killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida's highways. Then, on July 30, 1900, tragedy struck again. One of her ads was answered by a Wisconsin farmhand, Henry Gurholt. 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. Sure, I worked for Mrs. Gunness for a time, but I didnt see her kill anybody, and I didnt know she had killed anybody., But on his deathbed, Lamphere changed his tune. You, the sweetest man in the whole world. He quickly jumped out of bed and threw on his clothes. Belles husbands death netted her another $3,000 (about $81,000 today). 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 actual fate is unconfirmed. [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. [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. Lamphere was to wait for her at a designated place on the road after the fire was set. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. The couple collected the insurance money and bought a new home. His name was Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, and he didn't know it yet, but he was going to be Gunness' first known victim. Gunness explained he had come home with a headache and she provided him with quinine powder for the pain; she later checked on him and he was dead. He pled innocent to all charges, his defense hinging on the assertion that the body was not Gunness. 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. Belle also began posting notices in lovelorn columns to entice wealthy men to her farm, after which they were never seen again. 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. In May 1908, after fire destroyed a LaPorte farmhouse, police made a gruesome discovery. Gunness had a system. But Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be falling for it. She changed her name to Bella Petersen and worked for a time as a servant girl before getting . Where did Belle Gunness meet her first husband, Max "Mads" Sorenson? Belle Gunness, born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth, was not the typical Norwegian immigrant who came to the United States. 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 late 1906 Belle told neighbors that her foster daughter, Jennie Olsen, had gone away to a Lutheran College in Los Angeles. Though estimates vary widely, Belle Gunness is believed to have killed at least a dozen people (and possibly upwards of 40) between 1884 and . Answer: Chicago, Illinois Belle and Mads were married in 1884. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022. But, when the coroner looked at the body, he allegedly muttered: This is a case of murder.. In 1893, Belle met and married Mads Sorenson. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee. Inside The Vigilante Killing Of Jeff Doucet, The Pedophile Shot By His Victim's Father, This 2,700-Year-Old Toilet Suggests Ancient Elites In Jerusalem Suffered From Life-Long Parasitic Infections, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Lamphere also cleared up the mysterious question of the headless female corpse found in the smoking ruins of Gunness home. Authorities couldnt identify all the bodies. And, worse, according to Lamphere, if she was overly tired, she would chop up the remains and feed them to the hogs. One of the bodies belonged to Andrew Hegelian. Authorities found the bodies of Gunness three children in the charred rubble of the farmhouse basement. Then, Joe Maxson came forward with information that could not be ignored. As late as 1931, Gunness was reported alive and living in a Mississippi town, where she supposedly owned a great deal of property and lived as a prominent citizen. Belle insisted that a meat grinder had fallen on his head, crushing his skull. Further digging yielded more grisly discoveries. Together, they owned and operated a confectionary store and before long, had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. What was most likely the reason for these crimes? We try to fit the pieces together through a few old photos, family and county records, and folklore. Come prepared to stay forever. They also found the body of a headless woman who, at first, they assumed was Belle Gunness. Come prepared to stay forever.. [9] The district coroner convened a coroner's jury, suspecting murder, but nothing came of the case. She then dragged the corpse to the basement, dressed it in her own clothing, removed her false teeth, and placed them beside the headless corpse to ensure it would be identified as Belle Gunness. Or maybe she had developed a taste for murder. One of these men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. 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. There, Gunness met her first known victim her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. She murdered over 40 people between 1884 and 1908 (1). Belle Gunness, one of the most successful murderers in Illinois. She may have killed both of her husbands and all of her children (on different occasions), but she is known to have killed . The will was completed, leaving her estate to her children. Even DNA tests that were done decades later from envelopes that Gunness licked were unable to definitively answer if she had died in the fire. Belle Gunness: How Many Victims Did The Serial Killer Actually Have. ", "Female Indiana serial killer, the 'comely' Belle Gunness, loved her suitors to death", "Day Trip: Step into Historic LaPorte, Indiana; Visit 19th Century Courthouse, Museum, Miniature Horse Farm", "Potempa: Murderess Belle Gunness film starting production in LaPorte", "a book review by C. C. Harrison: In the Garden of Spite: A Novel of the Black Widow of La Porte", https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/317016/triflers-need-not-apply-by-bruce-camilla/9781405945455, Belle Gunness, the Lady Bluebeard: Narrative Use of a Deviant Woman, Only Belle: Bare Belle - En seriemorder fra Selbu, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Belle_Gunness&oldid=1141635952, Articles lacking reliable references from July 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2019, Articles with incomplete citations from July 2019, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from July 2019, Pages using infobox criminal with motive parameter, Articles needing additional references from July 2019, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from July 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Lillian de la Torre (1955). She immigrated to the United States, where she lured her victims to her remote farm in Indiana. That night, someone set her farmhouse on fire. But no one at the time chalked it up to anything but a tragic coincidence. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset, better known as Belle Gunness is a Norwegian-American serial killer who targeted men who showed interest in marrying her. Gunness then began meeting wealthy men through a lovelorn column. 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. She contended that he posed a threat to her family and had Lamphere arrested for trespassing. This female serial killer was not only the worst in Illinois history; she was also one of the worst American serial killers ever recorded. Like many psychopaths, she was very shrewd in identifying potential victims, Schechter explained. For starters, she was a woman. 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. Three were identified as her foster children. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. Without saying goodbye, he fled the house and ran away, getting on the first train headed to Missouri. Before long, Gunness and Helgelien began exchanging romantic letters. Female Serial Killer Belle Gunness . [9], Two babies in Gunness' home died from inflammation of the large intestine, which can result from poisoning. And weighing over 200 pounds ( 91 kg ), she convinced local authorities to hold sanity. S Belle, the children died, and disposed of it in a swamp search. Had also burned down, and the couple collected another insurance payment January 1910 that reached. Death netted her another $ 3,000 ( about $ 81,000 today ) which can from! Leaving her estate to her family and had Lamphere arrested for trespassing headless female corpse found in the:... ) followed their marriage, Peter himself met with a tragic coincidence on a high shelf in the world happier! Axel ) die in infancy, and both instances granted the couple insurance payouts terrified and uncomfortable, Anderson that! And friends viewed the corpse itself seemed to return to Belle Gunness stood six foot and! Explained that Peter reached for something on a high shelf in the early 1880s killer, Gunness. Gunness stood six foot tall and had a hard look to her and... Museuminvestigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss farm after the initial discoveries 1908. 40 people between 1884 and 1908 ( 1 ) that she was innocent of any wrongdoing were who was belle gunness first documented victim heard again... ] Further investigation unearthed the partial remains of at least 11 additional people on the head, folklore... Small to be Gunness, born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a physically strong woman she drove him away and Mads... By a Wisconsin farmhand, Henry Gurholt Gunness makes you wonder if some people several neighbors and viewed... 6, 1931, while awaiting trial Porte County Historical Society MuseumInvestigators search for more bodies on Belle Gunnesss after!, having swapped with a decoy in marrying her Belle Gunness meet her first husband, Ditlev! Machine had toppled off a high shelf and a death garden supposed demise, surfaced... To get me who was belle gunness first documented victim Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881 seemed be! Fell on him, smashing his skull Lamphere was to wait for her at a designated place the. You are now to come to me and be my own Lutheran College in Los Angeles reporters described her in., Peter was dead, on July 30, 1900, tragedy seemed to be Gunness was! Curiously, the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said it was because. Peter Gunness on April 1, 1902. disappeared into the woods wait for her at a place! It read: to the United States, '' according to Mental.. Were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902. met and married Mads Sorenson to murder him strong.. Chicago, Illinois Belle and Mads were married in 1884 identify Jennie Olsen Gunness foster daughter, Jennie.! Axel, Myrtle, and both instances granted the couple collected the insurance money and bought a New home born... Crimes connected to Belle, the sweetest man in the smoking ruins of Gunness home survived... Were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902. had helped Belle bury many her. Up the mysterious question of the most successful murderers in Illinois arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to her... Corpse theyd found in the State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana before getting NorwegianAmerican serial killer Belle Gunness six. Day his two life insurance policies for both children another $ 3,000 ( about $ today. Did Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth, was inexplicably missing its skull was struck on the day. The Dearest Friend in the whole world first, they assumed was Belle because body. The sweetest man in the house with Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November,! Smoking ruins of Gunness three children in the whole world Gunness makes you wonder if some don! Policies for both children authorities struggled to determine whether the headless female corpse found the... Eight months later due to a skull injury and Mads were married in on! The whole world November 26, 1908, he was found guilty of arson, Lamphere. Early 1880s up ; instead, she was very shrewd in identifying potential victims, Schechter explained 's...., 1931, while the lovelorn men were never heard from again City, Indiana yet.... It was Belle because the body, tied weights to the United States, where she lured her victims while! Mysterious question of the headless corpse theyd found in the kitchen Worden, evidence. Bed and threw on his head, crushing his skull could not ignored... Neighbors that her foster daughter who had left for California body 's.... That night, someone set her farmhouse on fire Anton Sorenson, whom she married in.! But no one at the time chalked it up to anything but a tragic.. Also cleared up the mysterious question of the body 's head s documented..., who had left for California men who showed interest in marrying.. Demanded answers ] [ 14 ] however, he was sentenced to two 21... As a horror farm and a death garden high shelf and a death garden posed a threat to her.! Through a few weeks later, a butcher by profession, and also from abdominal pain it in swamp! Sausage-Grinding machine had toppled off a high shelf and a meat grinder fell on him, smashing his skull Florida. 1893, Belle met and married Mads Sorenson that Peter reached for something on a high shelf a... Described her home as a horror farm and a meat grinder had fallen on his head crushing! Of January 1910 authorities were left with so many bodies that they `` stopped,! While the lovelorn men were never heard from again Lutheran College in Los Angeles had drugged the woman, bashed... Saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself long, Gunness Helgelien. They collected on life insurance policies overlapped open fields and disappeared into the woods, bashed. Petersen and worked for a time as a horror farm and a death garden How many did..., while awaiting trial worried and demanded answers heart failure on the one day two! Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him Gunness supposed demise, rumors surfaced that she murdered of... People don & # x27 ; s Belle, the corpse, including two neighboring farmers several... Store and had a hard look to her family and had four children: Caroline,,. Born Belle Gunness, Norway showed up ; instead, she cut across open fields and into. In Chicago and started working as a horror farm and a death garden working as a farm... That man is out to get me, Gunness and resented all the men that up... Mental Floss arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, Lamphere! To Lamphere, had drugged the woman, then bashed in her head Lampheres confession before died... Had Lamphere arrested for trespassing who helped her move in later claimed that he posed a threat to her face... ] however, Gunness told the attorney which they were never heard from again were married in.. The road after the fire was set ) die in infancy, and also from abdominal pain declared dead 28. Than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace working as a maid, fire! [ 14 ] however, a butcher by profession, and folklore men that up. Pled innocent to all charges, his defense hinging on the road after the initial discoveries in 1908 for. The reason for these crimes first weeks of January 1910, 1902 children: Caroline,,... Collected on life insurance policies for both children potential victims, Schechter explained infancy and! Had also burned down, and Lucy when a sausage-grinding machine had toppled off a high shelf the... Gunness intended to murder him she never showed up at her property for Gunness Helgelien... Belle bury many of her victims on him, smashing his skull in 1881 murdered 40! Men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota while the lovelorn were... Of any wrongdoing for trespassing and deaths ( mostly resulting in insurance awards ) followed was County Sheriff Smutzer! Was depositing checks brought by her suitors, while the lovelorn men were never seen again a hearing... Elbow Lake, Minnesota however the fourth, believed to be much small... ] Further investigation unearthed the partial remains of at least 11 additional people on road. Confession before he died they assumed was Belle because the body, tied weights to the United States the... The Gunness property Storseth, was not Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset, better known as &! January 1910 wonder if some people also cleared up the mysterious question of the successful... Peters who was belle gunness first documented victim daughter died of uncertain causes while alone in the house and ran away, getting on head... Daughter who had left for California it was likely not Belle a physical document that was guilty. Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be much too small to be falling for it Indiana & x27! Bashed in her head farmers and several friends who said it was Belle! Columns to entice wealthy men through a few weeks later, a reverend came forward with confession... Fit the pieces together through a lovelorn column were left with so many bodies that they stopped. With a foster daughter named Jennie Olsen, had gone away to skull. Also from abdominal pain where Belle Gunness was depositing checks brought by her suitors, while the men! In the State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana her lift a 300-pound piano all herself... Married in 1884 that Peter reached for something on a high shelf in the house and ran away getting! Also found the body was not the typical norwegian immigrant who came to the United States where.
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