Belle Gunness, One Of The Most Prolific Female Serial Killers In American History
MurderpediaA portrait of American serial killer Belle Gunness, also known as “Hell’s Belle.”
Belle Gunness was not only one of the deadliest female serial killers in American history, she was also one of the first known “Black Widow” murderers in the country. Sometimes dubbed “Hell’s Belle,” she made a fortune thanks to committing insurance fraud numerous times. She also left a trail of as many as 40 bodies in her wake.
Born in Selbu, Norway, in 1859, Gunness longed to move to the United States and achieve her American Dream. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1881 and promptly began scheming, with others oblivious to her nefarious intentions.
From an outsider’s perspective, it often seemed like disaster and tragedy befell Gunness, as many of her loved ones seemed to drop dead with little warning. But many of her “accidents” were carefully and brutally orchestrated by Gunness so she could make money off insurance claims.
She began to kill around 1893 after she married her first husband, Mads Sorenson. They opened up a store together and had four children and one foster child, and they seemed to encounter a lot of bad luck.
First, the couple’s business burned down. Next, two of her children abruptly died from acute colitis. Acute colitis and strychnine poisoning share symptoms — but this coincidence did not raise any red flags.
Bettmann/Getty ImagesBelle Gunness with her children, Lucy Sorensen, Myrtle Sorensen, and Philip Gunness, in 1904.
Next, her husband died under suspicious circumstances on the day his two life insurance policies overlapped, and Gunness got double the payload.
Gunness then moved her family to LaPorte, Indiana, and bought a 42-acre farm, which she burned down a piece of in order to collect more money.
She eventually married a man named Peter, who added two daughters from his previous marriage to the household. When one child died under mysterious circumstances, Peter became suspicious and ended up sending his eldest daughter to stay with other relatives. This ended up being a smart decision, as she was the only child to survive Gunness’ bloodshed.
Shortly after, Peter himself was killed when a meat grinder purportedly fell on his head in the family’s kitchen. Gunness promptly collected his life insurance policy and later gave birth to the couple’s son.
Now a professional, Gunness thought of a more efficient way to earn money. She took out newspaper ads asking for companionship, and men visited her farm with their money. Several suitors came to her farm, but none left.
According to Jack Rosewood, the author of Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men, Gunness treated her victims’ bodies brutally. She would often chop them up and bury them in her backyard.
In 1908, Gunness’ luck seemingly ran out for good. Her farmhouse burned to the ground, and the bodies of her remaining three children were found in the wreckage, alongside a headless body believed to be Gunness’.
During that same time, the brother of one of Gunness’ victims had come to town to investigate his sibling’s disappearance, and he urged the police to closely examine the burned farmhouse. Upon searching the property, authorities found the bodies of numerous men and children.
Gunness’ right-hand man, Ray Lamphere, was arrested for murder and arson — though he was eventually cleared of the murder charges. Lamphere initially claimed to know nothing about the murders, but before he died, he claimed that he and Gunness had actually killed over 40 men together.
Eerily, Gunness’ death in the fire was never confirmed, and some believe that she faked her own demise in order to avoid arrest.
After reading the stories of these terrifying American serial killers, go inside 11 baffling cases that “Unsolved Mysteries” helped solve. Then, discover some of the most incredible survival stories from history.
