Belle Gunness
The Serial Killer
A Serial Killer
• Experts don't agree on an exact definition of a
serial killer but general definitions are based on
numbers and patterns: two or more unrelated
victims in distinctly separate incidents. Serial
killers suffer from Antisocial Personality Disorder
and can appear normal or charming, sometimes
referred to as the "mask of sanity." Sometimes
there is a sexual element to the murders and they
may have a commonality such as gender,
occupation, appearances, race, etc.
Belle Gunness
• Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth, later known as
Belle Gunness, was born on November 11, 1859,
in Selbu, Norway and died April 28, 1908 in La
Porte, Indiana. In 1877, Gunness attended a
country dance while pregnant. There she was
attacked by a man who kicked her in the
stomach, causing her to lose the child. According
to people who knew her, her personality changed
markedly. The man who attacked her died only
shortly after. The cause of death was said to be
stomach cancer. She soon moved to the US and
was desperate for money.
The First Victim
• In 1884, Gunness married Mads Ditlev Anton
Sorenson in Chicago who soon owned an
unsuccessful confectionary store together. The
store burned down in a mysterious fire, and the
insurance money was collected. Years later in
1898, their home burned down and the insurance
money was soon collected. On July 30, 1900, the
only day that two life insurance policies on him
overlapped, her husband was killed from “heart
failure”. 8,500 dollars worth of insurance money
was collected the day after his funeral by Belle.
Family #1
• While married to Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson,
Belle also had four children, Caroline, Axel,
Myrtle and Lucy. Caroline and Axel died in
infancy, allegedly of acute colitis. The
symptoms of acute colitis, which are nausea,
fever, diarrhea, lower abdominal pain and
cramping, are also symptoms of many forms
of poisoning. Both children were insured and
the insurance company was paid off.
Family #2
• Belle met Peter Gunness, a Norwegian living in
La Porte, and married him on April 1, 1902.
One week after the ceremony, Peter's infant
daughter died (of uncertain causes) while
alone in the house with Belle. In December
1902, Peter allegedly died working in a shed
when part of a sausage-grinding machine fell
from a high shelf, split his skull open and killed
him instantly. 4,000 dollars of insurance was
collected.
Family #2 continued
• Jennie Olsen, Belle Gunness’ adopted
daughter told a classmate that she had seen
her mother kill her father. Jennie denied this
statement to the Court, and with much
persuasion, the charges for murder against
Belle were dropped. Jennie soon “went to
Lutheran College.” Her body was later found in
Belle Gunness’ back yard.
• Belle Gunness started putting ads in
newspapers asking for wealthy, widowed men
to come live with her on her farm. Many men
came to her farm with pockets full of cash,
and were no longer seen. Belle would order
large boxes regularly that would be delivered
to her home. Ray Lamphere, her handyman at
the time, would often dig holes in the back of
her yard as seen by her neighbors.
• Gunness soon fired Ray Lamphere, and
accused him of threatening her and her
children on numerous occasions. Gunness
pressed charges against Lamphere and set up
a will leaving all her money to her children.
Asle Helgelien, the brother of Andrew
Helgelien who was one of the widows who
came to see Gunness, grew suspicious when
he had not heard back from his brother. Asle
came to La Porte, Indiana to investigate his
brothers disappearance.
• Joe Mason, the new handyman, awoke to a fire in
the middle of the night and jumped out of his
window. There were four bodies found in the
house once the fire was put out: one headless
woman and 3 children. Upon further
investigation, it was said that the woman in the
fire could not have been Gunness because she
died of strychnine poisoning, and she was only
5’3 and about 150 lbs, when Gunness was at least
5’8 and about 200 pounds. Investigators next step
was, due to Mason’s suspicions of the wholes in
the back yard, to investigate Gunness’ property
Victims Found
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Jennie Olson
Small bodies of two unidentified children
Andrew Helgelien
Ole B. Budsburg
Thomas Lindboe
Henry Gurholdt,
Olaf Svenherud
John Moo
Olaf Lindbloom
There were many others who could not be identified. There
were the remains of more than 40 men and children buried
in shallow graves throughout her property.
Ray Lamphere
• Ray Lamphere pled guilty to Arson, but was proven
innocent when charged with murder. On his death
bed, he told a priest that Gunness was still alive, and
that he buried 42 bodies in her back yard. Lamphere
said that Gunness would charm her men, poison
them, and then cut their heads with a butcher knife,
and dump the remains in the hog pen in her back
yard. Gunness was never found but the body
believed to be that of Belle Gunness was buried next
to her first husband at Forest Home Cemetery in
Forest Park, Illinois.
Sources
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http://www.karisable.com/crserial.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Gunness
http://www.prairieghosts.com/belle.html
http://crime.about.com/od/murder/p/gunnes
s.htm
Janie
McNamee