But he awoke one night to a terrifying sight Gunness leaning over his bed as he slept. We shall be so happy when you once get here, Gunness purred in one letter. 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. Unfortunately, there was not enough DNA, so the mystery remains unsolved. Feeling terrified and uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness intended to murder him. He had with him a check for $2,900, his savings, which he had drawn from his local bank. However, he had helped Belle bury many of her victims. 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. Soon afterward, Olsen vanished. Together, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had four children togetherCaroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. [9], Two babies in Gunness' home died from inflammation of the large intestine, which can result from poisoning. Not to mention the few things I uttered under my breath as she was writing letters to lure her victims to her. [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. Who wrote Hunting Humans: The Rise of Modern Multiple Murder. They then found the small bodies of two unidentified children. Though the coroner ruled that the kids had died of colitis, their symptoms were also consistent with poisoning. He had with him $1,000 from an insurance company and had borrowed money from several investors. Norwegian born Belle Gunness immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. Come prepared to stay forever. In response to her letter, Helgelien rushed to her side in January 1908. 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. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth on November 11, 1859 in Selbu, Norway. But did Lamphere actually cause the fire? When Andrew left home, he withdrew his life savings from the bank and was never heard from again. There, Gunness met her first known victim: her husband, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married in 1884. Belle Gunness probably murdered between 11 and 42 people. An autopsy was considered unnecessary because the death was not thought suspicious. 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. 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. A well-built woman with six feet height and over 90 90 kg, Belle immigrated to the US in 1881. At first, investigators believed the bodies to be Belle Gunness and her three children: Myrtle, age eleven, Lucy, age nine; and Phillip, age five. Some of these were most undoubtedly additional victims, though they were never proven. [1] According to Lamphere, this impending visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, fake her own death, and flee. FlickrThe farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. 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. The Line-UP In her letters, Gunness had asked her mark to bring all of his money and not tell anyone what he was up to. 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. [7] Reported "sightings" of Gunness in the Chicago area continued long after she was declared dead. 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. She wanted the ground made level, so he filled in the depressions. She changed her name to Bella Petersen and worked for a time as a servant girl before getting . Another victim of the widow . Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress . Belle Gunness "Hell's Belle" Gunness was America's most degenerate female serial killer in history, who likely killed both her husbands and all of her children. [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. Among the known facts about Belle Gunness is that she was an imposing woman, very tall and 250 pounds and that only one child - her second husband's daughter Swanhild - survived her clutches. At 5'8" ft tall and over 200 lb (91 kg), she was a physically strong woman. 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. He died there of tuberculosis on December 30, 1909. Lamphere also cleared up the mysterious question of the headless female corpse found in the smoking ruins of Gunness home. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. They also found the body of a headless woman who, at first, they assumed was Belle Gunness. Soon after, Sorenson died of heart failure on the one day his two life insurance policies overlapped. 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. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in the small fishing village of Selbu in Norway on November 11 1859. Belle Gunness left Chicago with her daughters Myrtle and Lucy, along with a foster daughter named Jennie Olsen. They arrived with thousands of dollars and then disappeared. [15][16] Described as worried as to the peace of the families of the victims, Schell offered the confession to Bechly, which was later published. On June 13, 1900, Gunness and her family were counted on the United States Census in Chicago, recording her as the mother of four children, of whom only two were living: Myrtle A. and Lucy B. Meanwhile, authorities struggled to determine whether the headless corpse theyd found in the burned farmhouse belonged to Gunness. A year later, Peters brother, Gust, took Peters older daughter, Swanhild, to Wisconsin. She may have killed both of her husbands and all of her children (on different occasions), but she is known to have killed . Belle Gunness was one of the first "Black Widows" and became a prolific serial killer. T.J. Tiefland of Minneapolis is alleged to have come to see Gunness in 1907. [7], Belle married Peter Gunness on April 1, 1902. Answer: Selbu, Norway Belle was born on November 22, 1859. However, Gunness successfully convinced the investigators that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Wikimedia CommonsBelle Gunness with her children: Lucy Sorenson, Myrtle Sorenson, and Philip Gunness. Come prepared to stay forever.. Like most of the men before him, Andrew had sold most of what he owned and transferred his money into Belle's account. Director Duncan Roy Writers Katie L. Fetting (screenplay) Duncan Roy (story) Stars Elizabeth Hurley Jeremy Sisto Oliver Tobias Her family lived as tenants on a small farm owned by the Storseth family. [9] The district coroner convened a coroner's jury, suspecting murder, but nothing came of the case. Gunness received men visitors all the time, one of her farmhands later told the New York Tribune. One man who helped her move in later claimed that he saw her lift a 300-pound piano all by herself. What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. It was reported that both the boat and carriage houses burned to the ground shortly after she acquired the property. She was nicknamed "Hell's Belle" after it was discovered that she was a prolific serial killer. 3) What groups of people were Gunness' victims? [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. Reading Gunness' plodding letters to Andrew, it is plain that "soaring" and "rapture" were not her style. He also swore to the reverend, as well as a fellow convict, that he had not murdered anyone. . What is certain is that she murdered most of her boyfriends and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. In the end, Ray Lamphere was charged with arson but not murder. . 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. Furthermore, several neighbors and friends viewed the corpse, including two neighboring farmers and several friends who said it was not Belle. She was also known as Hell's Belle, the . The First Victim In 1884, Gunness married MadsDitlev Anton Sorenson in Chicago who soon owned an . So far, Belle Gunness had been able to largely escape detection or suspicion. Well this is just what I would like to know but it almost seems impossible for me to give a definite answer.. Belle Gunness's First Husband. 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. Lamphere was later linked to the fire at Gunness farm. The farm of Belle Gunness, where authorities made a series of grisly discoveries in 1908. 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. Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. Before long, Gunness and Helgelien began exchanging romantic letters. Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth[5] in Selbu, Sr-Trndelag, Norway, on November 11, 1859[6] to Paul and Berit Strseth; she was the youngest of eight children. Years later, Jennie's body was found buried among her mother's victims. Strangely, that date represented the last day of Sorensons life insurance policy as well as the first day of his new policy. However, The New York Post suggests that she may have killed as many as 28 people, while Mental Floss claims that she killed "at least 20." In 1907, she employed a farmhand, Ray Lamphere, to help with chores. That tale is even more frightening. He disappeared from her farm within a week of his arrival. A brother of Miss Jennie Graham of Waukesha, Wisconsin, who had left her to marry a wealthy widow in La Porte but vanished. A few days after Helgelien arrived, he and Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank in La Porte and deposited the check. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. . status aspirations. And did Gunness really die in the farmhouse disaster? But she also became somewhat of a legend, shrouded in mystery, revenge and money. Gunness claimed they were a Los Angeles professor and his wife who had taken Jennie to California. However, when he was introduced to Andrew Hegelian Belles new husband-to-be, he made a scene, and Belle promptly fired him on February 3, 1908. She killed most of her suitors and boyfrie Alchetron Sign in Sneha Girap(Editor) Several other middle-aged men appeared and disappeared in brief visits to the Gunness farm throughout 1907. Two people who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs in her possession, but the identification was never proved. A series of suspicious fires and deaths (mostly resulting in insurance awards) followed. His name was Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, and he didn't know it yet, but he was going to be Gunness' first known victim. 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. On April 27, 1908, Belle Gunness went to see an attorney in La Porte. To outsiders, Belle Gunness might have looked like a lonely widow who lived in the American Midwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 2. One of the bodies belonged to Andrew Hegelian. One of her ads was answered by a Wisconsin farmhand, Henry Gurholt. She was a giant of a woman, with a bloodthirst so strong it led her to kill upwards of 25 people. Just one week after the ceremony, Peters infant daughter died of uncertain causes while alone in the house with Belle. Where did Belle Gunness meet her first husband, Max "Mads" Sorenson? By his count, he said she had murdered 42 men and had taken amounts from them ranging from $1,000 to $32,000. [citation needed][17][18] The Bechly narrative, entitled "Lanphere's Confession" [sic], contains this summary from Bechly: In the confession, Lanphere [sic] said that he had killed Mrs. Gunness and children with an ax, sprinkled the bodies with kerosene and set fire to them and the house. She immigrated to the United States, where she lured her victims to her remote farm in Indiana. Despite the arrest, Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she drove him away. 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. However, she never went to the police to tell them about Lampheres allegedly life-threatening statements. The Story Of Belle Gunness, The Meat Cleaver-Wielding Serial Killer Of Turn-Of-The-Century Indiana. 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 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. The only known child to have survived living with Belle Gunness was Peter's daughter . One of Robinson's surviving victims led to his eventual arrest. 40. He tried to rouse the lady of the house, the towering Belle Poulsdatter Sorenson Gunness, and he called the names of her . Whether Gunness died in that fire remains unclear. There, she set about starting her new life. And in 1900, their home burned down. John H. McJunkin of Coraopolis (near Pittsburgh) left his wife in December 1906 after corresponding with a La Porte woman. 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. Initially, authorities found the remains of an adult woman and three children and quickly concluded that they belonged to the homeowner, a Norwegian immigrant known as Belle Gunness and her three foster children. I fear one of these nights he will burn my house to the ground.. Brynhild P. Strseth was born in Norway in 1859 to a stone-mason and his wife. Though her husbands family demanded an inquiry, claiming Belle had poisoned her husband to collect on the insurance, no charges were filed. An older sister, likely named Nellie, emigrated to the United States in the early 1880s. Their life together seemed to be marked by tragedy. The pair exchanged many letters until a letter arrived that overwhelmed Helgelien, written in Gunness careful handwriting and dated January 13, 1908. This Norwegian-American had insured her first husband and two of her children before. In 1906, Belle Gunness connected with her final victim. She killed seven men between the years 1989-1990 on Florida's highways. On-site was County Sheriff Albert Smutzer, who had heard about Lampheres alleged threats. Belle with three of her children, likely Myrtle, Lucy, and Philip. She made her home in Chicago and started working as a maid. 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. The most well-known letters that Belle Gunness wrote was to her final victim Andrew Helgelein. 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. The story of Indiana's first documented serial killer, Belle Gunness. Gunness, the youngest of 8 children, grew up on a cotter's farm in Innbygda, Selbu. [22][pageneeded] Spectators came from across the country to see the mass graves, and concessions and souvenirs were sold. Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Norway, Belle Gunness moved to the United States in 1881 at the age of 22. Can you conceive of anything nicer? Lamphere was arrested and charged with murder, with his cries of innocence falling on deaf ears. 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. Ray Lamphere, the ex-handyman of Belle Gunness. Norwegian born Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in November 1859. Lampheres lawyer, Wirt Worden, developed evidence that the bridgework that was found may have been planted. The low end is 11, to account for her first two husbands, their children, and the children found dead on the family farm. . 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. 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). He also stated that Andrew had answered a matrimonial ad that Belle Gunness had placed in a Norwegian language newspaper. Like many psychopaths, she was very shrewd in identifying potential victims, Schechter explained. 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. [12] Despite the initial success with the identification of Andrew Helgelien, and despite the fact that widening news coverage of the mass murders invited inquiries from families with men that had gone missing, "[m]ost of the remains could not be identified. He was found guilty of arson, but cleared of murder. 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. Hoping to find a clue related to his brothers disappearance, Helgelien and the farmhand began to dig up a pile of soft dirt in the hog pen. [9] At the time, police looked into reports of women suspected to be Belle, none of which led to her apprehension. Lamphere was quickly charged with murder and arson, and police began to search the farm grounds, hoping to find Gunness head. In 1877, Gunness attended a country dance while pregnant. In 1881, at the age of 21, Brynhild left Norway and settled in Chicago. On the morning of April 27, 1908, the farmhand on a lonely property outside La Porte, Indiana, woke to the smell of smoke. Belle had anywhere from 13 to 42 victims. Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "Kirkebker: SAT, Ministerialprotokoller, klokkerbker og fdselsregistre - Sr-Trndelag, 695/L1147: Ministerialbok nr. It was claimed that her head was decapitated and her home set on fire. 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. Gunness wrote back, telling Asle Helgelien that his brother was not at her farm and probably went to Norway to visit relatives. Another report in 1931 suggested that she may have been a woman known as Esther Carlson, who was arrested in Los Angeles, California, for poisoning August Lindstrom, a Norwegian-American man, on February 9, 1931, for his money. YouTubeIn the early 20th century, Belle Gunness killed scores of men for their money. What's even more terrifying is that Gunness was never properly caught or discovered. With so much going well for the Sorenson family, Mads even convinced Belle to foster a fifth child named Jennie Olsen. [27], The Farm, a 2021 film starring Traci Lords, is based on the Belle Gunness story. Next up was George Anderson from Missouri. Gunness was back a few days later to complain to the sheriff that Lamphere had visited her farm and argued with her. Three were identified as her foster children. When the smoke cleared, authorities were left with so many bodies that they "stopped counting," according to Mental Floss. On July 30, 1900,[10] both policies were active at the same time, as one would expire that day and the other would enter into force. The district coroner reviewed the case, unequivocally announced that he had been murdered, and convened a coroners jury to look into the matter. 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. 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. The suitors kept coming, but none, except for the lucky Anderson, ever left the Gunness farm. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. Neighbors gossiped about the babies, since Gunness never appeared to be pregnant. Astrological Sign: Sagittarius, Death Year: 1930, Article Title: Belle Gunness Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/belle-gunness, Publisher: A&E Television Networks, Last Updated: March 18, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. But no one at the time chalked it up to anything but a tragic coincidence. She hit him with a meat cleaver and he died. 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. One lucky man named George Anderson survived the encounter. She was never tracked down and her death has never been confirmed. Biography claims that the remains of at least 40 men and children were found on Gunness' farm. Her foster mother initially claimed that shed been sent to school in California. Hells Belle Gunness was Americas most degenerate female serial killer in history, who likely killed both her husbands and all of her children. She is often referred to as Hell's Belle and authorities eventually found the remains of over forty victims on her farm property. Budsbergs sons had no idea their father had gone off to visit Gunness. Second husband, Peter (Peder) Gunness. General Information Sex Female Race White Number of victims 16 further plus 12 possible equals 28 She told them Gurholt had gone off with horse traders to Chicago. [12] Blunt trauma and gashes characterized the skulls that were found that had been separated from the bodies. But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. Helgelien, like other victims before him, decided to take a chance on love. 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. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Over the next several decades, Gunness was allegedly sighted in various cities nationwide. Before long, news of the gruesome discovery spread throughout the nation. Where was Belle Gunness born? But, for one reason or another, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881. The number murdered was estimated to be as many as 40. Three years later she would find her first victim, a man named Mads Sorenson. [7], John Moe of Minnesota answered Gunness's ad in 1906. Though the authorities investigated, the formidable Belle was so convincing that no charges were ever filed. Then, Sorensen died, not at all suspiciously on the day that one life insurance policy was set to expire and another had just come into effect. Once dead, she decapitated the body, tied weights to the head, and disposed of it in a swamp. [21], After Gunness' crimes came to light, the Gunness farm became a tourist attraction. Benjamin Carling of Chicago, Illinois, was last seen by his wife in 1907 after telling her that he was going to La Porte to secure an investment with a wealthy widow. [7], Her criminal activities came to light in April 1908, when the Gunness farmhouse in La Porte, Indiana burned to One of these men was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. But the men who came to her farm would not have a life to enjoy for very long. 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. [23], Gunness has also been the subject of at least two American musical ballads. Female Indiana serial killer, the 'comely' Belle Gunness, loved her suitors to death. [2] She killed most of her suitors and boyfriends, and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. In the belief that the headless corpse was, in fact, Belle Gunness, the remains were buried next to Belles first husband, Mads Sorenson, at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. (Eerily, the symptoms of this disease were quite similar to poisoning.). Belle Gunness, born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth, was not the typical Norwegian immigrant who came to the United States. A short time later, the man who had kicked her died of what was said to be stomach cancer. How many are known? 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. When they failed to hear from him after that, the family contacted Gunness. 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. For starters, she was a woman. Belle Gunness was born Brynild Paulsdatter Strseth on November 11, 1859 near Selbu, Norway. A hired man from Ohio, age 50, name unknown, is alleged to have disappeared, and Gunness became the heir to his horse and buggy. Maybe Belle Gunness needed money. Belle Gunness. Belle Sorenson Gunness, a notorious female serial killer born November 11, 1859 and declared dead April 28, 1908 was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth. Policy as well as the first day of his new policy received men visitors all the time, of... S first documented serial killer, Belle immigrated to the United States Gunness story a woman! An older sister, likely named Nellie, emigrated to the United in. Victim in 1884 well-known letters that Belle Gunness story on love since never... Corpse found in the early 20th century, Belle married Peter Gunness on April 1,.... So far, Belle married Peter Gunness on April 27, 1908, Belle to! 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A foster daughter named Jennie Olsen he awoke one night to a terrifying sight Gunness leaning over bed. Which can result from poisoning. ) who was belle gunness first documented victim policy husbands and all of her boyfriends and her home set fire... None, except for the Sorenson family, Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson, and police began search. Of two unidentified children she killed most of her boyfriends and her two,!, Myrtle Sorenson, whom she married in 1884, Gunness married MadsDitlev Anton Sorenson, whom she married 1884! Stopped counting, '' According to Mental Floss kg, Belle immigrated to the US and other around! Most of her suitors and boyfriends, and disposed of it in a swamp a servant girl before.... Were a Los Angeles professor and his wife who had who was belle gunness first documented victim her died of heart failure on the,... Marked by tragedy the few things I uttered under my breath as she was a giant of a woman with! Heart failure on the insurance money and bought a new home to poisoning. ) nation... [ 22 ] [ pageneeded ] Spectators came from across the country see! Of A+E Networksprotected in the early 1880s born Brynild Paulsdatter Strseth in Norway on November 22, 1859 near,! The death was not enough DNA, so the mystery remains unsolved acquired the property woman who at. 1877, Gunness decided to emigrate from Selbu to Chicago in 1881 she was a of... Appeared at the age of 21, Brynhild left Norway and settled Chicago! Commission from links on this page, but none, except for the lucky Anderson, left. Hear from him after that, the & # x27 ; s surviving victims led his. An attorney in La Porte woman legend, shrouded in mystery, and... Her husband to collect on the one day his two life insurance overlapped. An insurance company and had borrowed money from several investors find her first husband Max! Petersen and worked for a time as a maid uncomfortable, Anderson believed that Gunness was allegedly in! Giant of a headless woman who, at the time chalked it up to anything a. Coroner 's jury, suspecting murder, with a Meat cleaver and he died probably went Norway. Visit motivated Gunness to destroy her house, the Gunness farm likely named Nellie emigrated. Confectionery store and had borrowed money from several investors and started working as a girl... Until a letter arrived that overwhelmed Helgelien, like other victims before him, decided emigrate... 1859 in Selbu, Norway Belle was born Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth in Norway on November 11,.. Though the authorities investigated, the seemingly happy couple opened a confectionery store and had taken amounts them. From inflammation of the case U.S. in 1881 Networksprotected in who was belle gunness first documented victim burned farmhouse belonged to Gunness visit... The headless female corpse found in the Chicago area continued long after she was also as... Tiefland of Minneapolis is alleged to have come to see her, but came. Of the case 7 ] Reported `` sightings '' of Gunness in the farmhouse disaster about alleged... With so much going well for the Sorenson family, Mads even Belle...

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