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. But the men who came to her farm would not have a life to enjoy for very long. In 1881, when she was 21 years old, Belle Gunness moved to Chicago. When the smoke cleared, authorities were left with so many bodies that they "stopped counting," according to Mental Floss. Standing six feet tall (183cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91kg), she was a physically strong woman. Several more unexplained deaths followed, including the infant daughter of her new husband, Peter Gunness, followed by Peter Gunness himself. But he awoke one night to a terrifying sight Gunness leaning over his bed as he slept. [2] She killed most of her suitors and boyfriends, and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. Stephanie Brooks. On-site was County Sheriff Albert Smutzer, who had heard about Lampheres alleged threats. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. Taking in the grizzly scene, he immediately concluded that the fire was not accidental but arson and murder. 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 . Together, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. 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. The pair had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. The couple collected the insurance money and bought a new home. .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. 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." . By his count, he said she had murdered 42 men and had taken amounts from them ranging from $1,000 to $32,000. A few days after Helgelien arrived, he and Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank in La Porte and deposited the check. To their horror, they ended up finding Andrew Helgeliens head, hands, and feet, stuffed into an oozing gunny sack. At 5'8" ft tall and over 200 lb (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. Her victims were primarily men that Gunness convinced to come to her property with the promise of marriage. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. T.J. Tiefland of Minneapolis is alleged to have come to see Gunness in 1907. Belle Gunness. . She then made her way to Chicago, Illinois, where she again worked as a servant for a time. Ray Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. 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. On July 30, 1900, Albert Sorenson died on the one day his two life insurance policies overlapped. Of the remains found at the murder site, the bodies of Belles three children and several of her suitors were identified. His watch was found in Lampheres possession. In fact, the farmhand did. The idea that the decapitated body belonged to Gunness was called into question, and a farmhand/accomplice claimed that the alleged murderer had taken the money she'd fleeced from her victims and vanished. Two people who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs in her possession, but the identification was never proved. Norwegian born Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in November 1859. 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. [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. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. The farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. Next came George Anderson from Tarkio, Missouri, who said he would pay the mortgage off if they decided to wed. Late that night, while sleeping in the guest room, Anderson awoke startled to see Belle standing over him, peering into his eyes and holding a candle in her hand. Their life together seemed to be marked by tragedy. Belle collected $3,000 insurance money for Peter's death. Before long, Gunness and Helgelien began exchanging romantic letters. All of them told of lonesome brothers, uncles, and cousins answering Belles matrimonial ads and traveling hopefully to La Porte with their life savings stuffed in their pockets. Initially, the bodies were believed to be Belle and her children, Myrtle (age 11), Lucy (age 9), and Phillip (age 5). La Porte County Historical Society Museum. Feeling terrified and uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him. When I hear your name mentioned, and this is when one of the dear children speaks of you, or I hear myself humming it with the words of an old love song, it is beautiful music to my ears. More reports of missing men began to pour in from surrounding Midwestern states, and relatives began to appear from all over the region to claim bodies. Prairie Ghosts 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. But Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be falling for it. 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. And shortly after he arrived, Gunness killed him and buried his dismembered body in her hog pen, alongside other corpses. She also chloroformed her children, smothered them to death, and carried them to the basement. Over 40 victims had been found, including lovers, her husbands, and even her own children. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. In 1906, Belle Gunness connected with her final victim. Come prepared to stay forever.. Belle did indeed become wealthy, but not because she earned the money honestly. He showed up in hopes of finding his brother. Their home had also burned down, and both instances granted the couple insurance payouts. 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. Anderson had come to the Gunness farm from Missouri with money and a hopeful heart. ; Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American . In what may be a rather cruel bit of irony, some of her letters invited the men to "come prepared to stay forever," according to SyFy. 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. I know that you are now to come to me and be my own. Apparently, he had fallen victim to a sausage grinder that fell on his head from a wobbly shelf. the ground. Belle Sorenson Gunness (November 11, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a NorwegianAmerican serial killer. The Line-UP Belle Sorenson Gunness, a notorious female serial killer born November 11, 1859 and declared dead April 28, 1908 was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth. They arrived with thousands of dollars and then disappeared. Concurrently, Gunness had begun to develop problems with a farmhand named Ray Lamphere. These are famous words by the convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos who was put to death by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. She also posted ads in lovelorn columns to attract wealthy bachelors. Think how we will enjoy each others company. Wikimedia CommonsBelle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. But, for Helgeliens brother, Asle, the matter was far from over. Belle with daughters Lucy and Myrtle. Though her husband's family demanded an inquiry, no charges were filed. In May 1908, after fire destroyed a LaPorte farmhouse, police made a gruesome discovery. Her birth name was Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset. A short time later, the man who had kicked her died of what was said to be stomach cancer. I fear one of these nights he will burn my house to the ground.. In this depraved story of sex, deception, greed, and murder, a veteran true-crime writer offers the first definitive history of Belle Gunness (circa 1859-1908), the most prolific female serial killer in American history.In previous books, Schechter (American Literature and Culture/Queens Coll. In 1907, she employed a farmhand, Ray Lamphere, to help with chores. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. She then went to work as a servant on a wealthy farm for the next several years. 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. At first, Belle told the police that Peter had been reaching for his slippers in the kitchen when he was scalded near the stove. It read: To the Dearest Friend in the World: No woman in the world is happier than I am. 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. And did Gunness really die in the farmhouse disaster? [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. In 1884, Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson in Chicago, and two years later, they opened a candy store that was not very successful. Older children (Caroline and Axel) die in infancy, and also from abdominal pain. In 1908, just when Hegelein's brother became suspicious and Gunness's luck seemed to be running out, her farmhouse burnt to the ground. 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. The first doctor to see him thought he had suffered from strychnine poisoning. 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. 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. Ted Bundy's reason for killing. Also counted was an adopted 10-year-old girl, identified as Morgan Couch, but who was later known as Jennie Olsen. 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. Before long, news of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation. (Eerily, the symptoms of this disease were quite similar to poisoning.). 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. Leliter, telling him she feared for her life and her children. But she also became somewhat of a legend, shrouded in mystery, revenge and money. 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. He never returned for his belongings, nor did he ever speak to Gunness again. 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. Belle Gunness. We fixed him for keeps.. 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. Mrs. [19], The publication of Lamphere's confession resulted in the subsequent arrest of his accomplice Elisabeth Smith. This letter was later found at the Helgelien farm. Little is known about her early life. In the end, she was awarded $8,500 (about $240,000 today), with which she bought a farm on the outskirts of La Porte, Indiana. Strangely, tragedy seemed to return to Belle Gunness doorstep yet again. Olaf Jensen, a Norwegian immigrant from Carroll. [citation needed] Bechly attempted to convince Schell to allow him to publish this later confession, but was denied by both Schell and Schell's wife. 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. My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. She wanted the ground made level, so he filled in the depressions. [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. Who Was Belle Gunness? The next thing she knew, her husband was dead. She was never tracked down and her death has never been confirmed. Anderson was so startled by the ravenous expression in Gunness eyes that he left immediately. I know nothing about the house of crime, as they call it, he said, when asked about Gunness murders. Meanwhile, Asle Helgelien had read about the fire in the newspaper. [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. Unfortunately, there was not enough DNA, so the mystery remains unsolved. Lamphere was to wait for her at a designated place on the road after the fire was set. Ay like music at home, she supposedly said, by way of explanation. Carlson died on May 6, 1931, while awaiting trial. Belle Gunness, one of the most successful murderers in Illinois. 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