Belle Gunness Wants Love, Only If You are Insured

Belle Gunness with her three children.

Belle Gunness was born Brynild Paulsdatter Størseth on November 11, 1859 near Selbu, Norway. In 1881, at the age of 21, she moved to the United States in search of wealth and gave herself the Americanized name of Bella (Belle) Petersen. Belle did indeed become wealthy, but not because she earned the money honestly. Quite the opposite, in fact.

It is believed that Belle killed at least 14 people, though some speculate that number could be as many as forty, earning herself a variety of nicknames including Hell’s Belle, the Black Widow, and Lady Bluebeard.

The truth of her crimes wasn’t known until her supposed death in 1908. In April of that year, the Gunness farmhouse in La Porte, Indiana burned to the ground. The body of a woman along with Belle’s three children were found and as investigators continued the search of the property, the partial remains of at least 11 other people were discovered.

But did she really die in the fire of 1908? After all, the body that was supposedly Belle’s was headless, making it impossible to positively identify during a time long before DNA testing. Also take into account the numerous sightings of her all over the country for decades after her “death.” It sure does make you wonder.

Serial Killer H.H. Holmes and his Famous Murder Castle

H.H. Holmes

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, was born May 16, 1861 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.  He was one of the first recorded American serial killers.

Mudgett had a difficult childhood, growing up with a violent alcoholic father.  His mother was a devout Methodist who read the Bible to him. He claimed that, as a child, once his classmates discovered he was afraid of the local doctor they forced him to look at and touch a human skeleton.  The bullies just wanted to scare him, but some believe that instead this is where his fascination and obsession with death started.

In June of 1884 Mudgett graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School.  While attending school he stole bodies from the laboratory, disfigured them and then claimed the people were killed accidentally so he could collect insurance money from policies he took out on each deceased person.