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It is not what the city of LaPorte wants to be known for – the home of a woman accused of brutally murdering more than 20 people. But the murder mystery surrounding the life and death of Belle Gunness is so intriguing it will leave you wondering, did she get away with murder?
WSBT has been showing you the best kept secrets across the area – interesting things you didn't know about your hometown.
At Patton Cemetary in LaPorte there is a gravestone from 1908. Below it rests the final victim of Belle Gunness. The grave stone reads:
Andrew Helgelien
1859 - 1908
The last victim of the Gunness Horrors
Remains found by his Brother Asle Helgelien
May 5, 1908
Rest in Peace
Andrew Helgelien's body was found buried in a shallow grave. At least 12 other bodies were found as well. But the story and the killings began much earlier.
Click here to see photos from the Belle Gunness farm (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)
Bruce Johnson has studied the Belle Gunness murders. He sat down with WSBT to explain how it began and how it ended.
"They considered her not a very attractive lady," describes Johnson.
Belle Gunness was a hefty lady. She was born in Norway 1859 and eventually immigrated to Chicago in 1881. There, she married a man named Mads Sorenson.
"While they were married she had a business and it burnt down, and she found out about insurance money through that," says Johnson. "They bought a house in Illinois with the insurance money and during this time Belle thought Mads didn't have enough life insurance. So he took out another life insurance policy and during the one day the two policies overlapped he happened to die."
That death was mysterious and raised red flags in the community as two of their foster children had also died while living with Belle. Even Mads' family was suspicious. An autopsy was done on everything but the stomach because that would have been extra money.
Belle decided to take her insurance money and in 1901 she moved to LaPorte. She met Peter Gunness, a widower. They soon married and Gunness and his two children moved into her farmhouse. A week later, Gunness' youngest daughter died under Belle's care.
"Several months later in December of 1902 Peter Gunness died very mysteriously," says Johnson, "according to Belle's story, Peter had come in and sat down next to the stove in the kitchen. He was going to change his shoes which were being warmed by the stove. When he was putting on his shoes he bumped the stove where there was a pot of water that was boiling. She was going to use it to make brine. It fell over and scalded his neck. And then a sausage grinder that was on the shelf above his head also fell and hit him in the head."
There were suspicions that his death had not been an accident. In fact, the funeral was postponed for a couple days while an investigation was performed, but nothing was ever proven.
Over the years, Belle began placing advertisements in Scandinavian newspapers – she was looking for a man to share in her beautiful farm in LaPorte.
"Basically what it was, was a woman wanting to meet a man who would be interested in becoming a partner in her farm," describes Johnson, "They could contact these newspapers if they were interested and they forwarded the information to her and she wrote letters to them. We have no idea how many people came to LaPorte, but quite a few obviously."
"Belle had four basic rules: sell everything you have, bring only cash, sew it in your underwear for safety and don't tell anyone where you are going," says Johnson.
The men came and they were never heard from again.
"According to my research, she poisoned them with arsenic and strychnine. When they were drowsy from the poison she hit them over the head with a hammer or something. Cracking their skulls and killing them that way," says Johnson, "then she would cut off their heads, their arms and their legs and she would store them in her basement with quicklime to preserve them and keep the smell away until she had a proper time she could bury them."
No one knew what she was doing until 1908. That is when Andrew Helgelien arrived from South Dakota. She had been writing Andrew letters for two and a half years. When he finally arrived he didn't have cash, and that wasn't the only rule he had broken. He also told his brother where he was going.
After Helgelien arrived, he eventually had all his money wired to the bank.
"Andrew and the banker wanted her (Belle) to leave at least half of the money in the bank. But she wanted it all in cash. As far as we know, the next day he was gone. He disappeared," says Johnson.
Andrew's brother Asle became suspicious after not hearing from his brother. He wrote Belle letters and eventually contacted the police and the bank. Belle wrote back. She insisted she didn't know where Andrew was.
On April 27, 1908, Belle decided to have her will made out. That night her home caught fire. The hired man woke up early in the morning on April 28, 1908 to the smell of smoke.
"He tried to wake up Belle and the children but it wasn't to happen. Neighbors tried to wake them up by throwing rocks at the windows but nobody came," says Johnson.
By the time the fire department arrived it was too late. There was nothing left of the home besides burnt rubble. Police began looking for bodies in the charred debris. They eventually found them in the basement – Belle's three children lying side by side next to the body of a headless woman. Because there was no head, the body couldn't be identified as Belle's.
After hearing about the fire, Asle came to LaPorte. He began sifting through the rubble. When he didn't find any clues about his brother, he talked with that hired man who indicated they had buried garbage back in March near the hog pen. They were about to uncover the bodies of Belle's victims.
"So they went over to the spot, started digging, went down about three feet and they found a gunny sack, pulled it out and opened it up and Asle recognized his brother Andrew right away," says Johnson, "he had been cut up. His arms and legs and head cut off."
After more digging, they found eight more bodies buried beneath the soil. Most of the bodies were men, but there were some children and women. They even found the body of Jennie Olson, a 16-year-old girl that Belle had raised from childhood.
"They soon realized that Belle Gunness was responsible for all of these deaths," says Johnson, "but the fact that the head was missing from the body could not prove that that was Belles body."
Had Belle died in the fire? Or was a murderer still on the loose?
"I believe she got away with murder and a lot of money," says Johnson.
In all, Bruce estimates Belle killed 22 people. But some believe there could be more victims.
As for what happened to Belle – That is a mystery that might never be solved.
"She didn't die in the fire. I don't believe that was Belle's body. I believed she escaped and that was somebody else. Some unknown person," says Johnson, "without a head, you can't prove it is her body. And I am sure it is not."
There have been efforts to try to identify that headless body found in the fire. In 2007 the body was exhumed and a DNA sample was taken. Indiana State Police tried matching it with envelopes and stamps from Belle Gunness, but they were far too old to get a decent sample. Recently, a woman from Norway, a direct descendent of Belle's grandmother, offered her DNA to compare. But there is not enough money to get it tested, so it sits in a crime lab in Texas.
For more information on the Belle Gunness Horrors, or to purchase a documentary on the crimes:
LaPorte County Historical Society Museum - (219) 324-6767
B and J's American Café - 607 Lincolnway La Porte, IN 46350-3314
(219) 362-3474
www.thegunnessmystery.com