He was jealous of the many men who arrived at court his employer and had endured most of these attentive strangers up to this time. She was raised on a small farm in Innbygda, Norway, and grew up to be a physically very strong woman, standing 5 9 tall and weighing over 200 pounds. For these reasons and others, it's impossible to say how many people Gunness murdered. [7] She moved to the United States in 1881. 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. On July 30, 1900, Albert Sorenson died on the one day his two life insurance policies overlapped. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,.css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}contact us! Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. Strangely, tragedy seemed to return to Belle Gunness doorstep yet again. Not long after Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson in 1884, their store and home mysteriously burned down. Little is known about her early life. Belle Sorenson Gunness (November 11, 1859 declared dead April 28, 1908) born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth was a NorwegianAmerican serial killer. She adopted an American name and found work as a servant. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. Gunness, the youngest of 8 children, grew up on a cotter's farm in Innbygda, Selbu. She would spike their coffee, bash their heads in, cut up their bodies, and put them in sacks, he explained. Gunness had insured both of the children and collected a large insurance check after each death. [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. He had with him a check for $2,900, his savings, which he had drawn from his local bank. She wanted something more and soon began to look for new suitors by inserting the following advertisement in the lovelorn column of newspapers in large midwestern cities: Personal Comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La Porte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided, with view of joining fortunes. There, Gunness met her first known victim her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. 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. She died of tuberculosis while awaiting trial. A few days after Helgelien arrived, he and Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank in La Porte and deposited the check. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana "murder farm." Some were hired hands. Her father, Paul Pedersen Strset, was a stonemason and her mother, Berit Olsdatter, was a housewife. The former handyman also stated that Belle had become a very rich woman. Peters infant daughter from a previous relationship died. [23], Gunness has also been the subject of at least two American musical ballads. Although her farmhouse burned down in April 1908, seemingly with her inside, some believe that Gunness slipped away perhaps to kill again. Their life together seemed to be marked by tragedy. While there, she was attacked by a man who kicked her in the abdomen, causing her to miscarry. Meanwhile, a man whose brother had been in contact with Gunness believed he'd been murdered and had begun asking questions. 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. The Line-UP Though the coroner ruled that the kids had died of colitis, their symptoms were also consistent with poisoning. His watch was found in Lampheres possession. It was reported that both the boat and carriage houses burned to the ground shortly after she acquired the property. In 1884 Belle Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson. These filled-in holes, Gunness had told Maxson, contained rubbish. Reported other unnamed victims may have been: Bones and Body parts found at the Gunness farm. John H. McJunkin of Coraopolis (near Pittsburgh) left his wife in December 1906 after corresponding with a La Porte woman. Her suitors were her next victims, each of whom brought cash to her farm and then disappeared forever: John Moo, Henry Gurholdt, Olaf Svenherud, Ole B. Budsburg, Olaf Lindbloom, Andrew Hegelein, to name just a few. An autopsy was considered unnecessary because the death was not thought suspicious. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. [7], Belle married Peter Gunness on April 1, 1902. When drinking, Lamphere often boasted of sleeping with his employer, which came as a surprise to those who only saw Belle as the burly woman who liked to dress in mens overalls and do her own hog butchering. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in the small fishing village of Selbu in Norway on November 11 1859. The story of Belle Gunness makes you wonder if some people don't really need motivation, some people . John Moe of Elbow Lake, Minnesota. He never returned for his belongings, nor did he ever speak to Gunness again. The home belonged to Belle Gunness, a woman who had lived in La Porte since 1901. Without saying goodbye, he fled the house and ran away, getting on the first train headed to Missouri. [citation needed][14] However, a separate newspaper published a story with speculation regarding the second Lamphere confession. Gunness and Sorenson opened a candy store, but it soon burned down. 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. At the time of her supposed death in 1908, Gunness lived on a farm in LaPorte, IN. She was also known as Hell's Belle, the . 4/28/1908 49 Fire set that kills children and where Belle's body was "supposedly" found headless. Strangely, that date represented the last day of Sorensons life insurance policy as well as the first day of his new policy. 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. They collected on life insurance policies for both children. Feeling terrified and uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him. 4/27/1908 49 Belle writes last will and testament. In 1884, Gunness married Mads Albert Sorenson in Chicago, and two years later, they opened a candy store that was not very successful. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. He was last seen alive at the La Porte Savings Bank on April 6, 1907, when he mortgaged his Wisconsin land there, signed over a deed, and obtained several thousand dollars in cash. Concurrently, Gunness had begun to develop problems with a farmhand named Ray Lamphere. [9] The district coroner convened a coroner's jury, suspecting murder, but nothing came of the case. [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. socioeconomic status. This female serial killer was not only the worst in Illinois history; she was also one of the worst American serial killers ever recorded. I fear one of these nights he will burn my house to the ground.. In 1907, she employed a farmhand, Ray Lamphere, to help with chores. Biography.com 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. Second husband, Peter (Peder) Gunness. Soon enough, Gunness was depositing checks brought by her suitors, while the lovelorn men were never heard from again. It is not known how many men were victims of a treacherous woman. She was a giant of a woman, with a bloodthirst so strong it led her to kill upwards of 25 people. Then, I did the planting.. However, word soon spread that her relationship with Lamphere was more than strictly professional. He showed up in hopes of finding his brother. ; Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American . [1] Lamphere stated that Gunness asked him to burn down the farmhouse with her children inside. 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. And, worse, according to Lamphere, if she was overly tired, she would chop up the remains and feed them to the hogs. Come prepared to stay forever. Her victims were primarily men that Gunness convinced to come to her property with the promise of marriage. An unknown man and woman are alleged to have disappeared in September 1906, the same night Jennie Olson went missing. She killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida's highways. 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. On April 27, 1908, Belle Gunness went to see an attorney in La Porte. At the time, forensics was in its infancy, and the bodies had been so mutilated that there was little hope of identifying them. You, the sweetest man in the whole world. Several more unexplained deaths followed, including the infant daughter of her new husband, Peter Gunness, followed by Peter Gunness himself. One of these men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. Authorities couldnt identify all the bodies. Frank Riedinger, a farmer of Waukesha, Wisconsin, came to Indiana in 1907 to marry and never returned. But Asle Helgelien didnt seem to be falling for it. Gunness married her first husband shortly after moving to America, but he died under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind a sizable life insurance policy. When authorities dug around the hog pens and other places on the farm, they found the mutilated remains of several more men and children. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway. And in 1900, their home burned down. That night, someone set her farmhouse on fire. In 1893, Belle met and married Mads Sorenson. Also unclear is how many victims Gunness had killed. 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. He moved to La Porte, Indiana on January 3, 1908 to be with Belle Gunness. [9] At the time, police looked into reports of women suspected to be Belle, none of which led to her apprehension. Best Known For: Serial killer Belle Gunness is reported to have murdered more than 40 people between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing without a trace. A series of deaths and disappearances of people associated with her followed, many of which fetched her insurance . [13] The brother of one victim had warned Gunness that he might arrive at the farm shortly to investigate his brother's disappearance. Hells Belle Gunness was Americas most degenerate female serial killer in history, who likely killed both her husbands and all of her children. What's even more terrifying is that Gunness was never properly caught or discovered. Lamphere ended up in prison because of his connection to Gunness and the fire on her farm. Her actual fate is unconfirmed. Lamphere was arrested and charged with murder, with his cries of innocence falling on deaf ears. 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." . Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. However, by the time anyone suspected Gunness in their deaths, they'd been dead for decades and their suspected murderer had vanished. 35: Belle Gunness. [Gunness] beguiled them with promises of down-home Norwegian cooking and painted a very seductive portrait of the kind of life theyd enjoy.. Triflers need not apply.. Billed as "based on a true story," Tom Logan is directing the film, which stars Traci Lords cast as the murderous Belle Gunness. 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