In 1908, a fire destroyed a farmhouse outside La Porte, Indiana. Inside were the bodies of three children. Nearby, investigators found the remains of a woman believed to be the homeowner, Belle Gunness. But the case didn’t end there.
Belle Gunness was a Norwegian immigrant and farm owner who placed personal ads seeking marriage. Men arrived at her farm with savings and plans for the future, and were never seen again.
In this episode of ClueTrail, we walk through the timeline of the Belle Gunness case, explore who her victims were, and examine the unanswered question that still remains: did Belle die in the fire, or did she manage to disappear?
Sources & Further Reading:
Chicago Tribune archives; HistoryNet; Smithsonian Magazine; Harold Schechter, The A–Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers; Jack Levin & Eric Hickey, Serial Killers and Sadistic Murderers; Encyclopaedia Britannica.
