Patients called her a comfort to sit with in their final hours. What none of them knew was that she was the reason those hours were their last.
Jane Toppan, nicknamed "Jolly Jane," was an American serial killer active as a nurse in Massachusetts in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She confessed to 31 murders and was suspected of killing far more before being found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1902.
A Difficult Start
Toppan was born Honora Kelley in Boston in 1854, the daughter of Irish immigrants. Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was young, and her father, known locally for erratic and abusive behavior, surrendered her and a sister to the Boston Female Asylum in 1860. Two years later, Honora was placed as an indentured servant with Ann C. Toppan of Lowell, Massachusetts, and took on her benefactor's surname, eventually becoming known as Jane.
A Beloved Nurse With a Hidden Pattern
Toppan began training as a nurse at Cambridge Hospital in 1885, where she earned her cheerful nickname and built a reputation as bright, well-liked, and deeply trusted by patients and doctors alike. Behind that reputation, she began falsifying patient charts to extend hospital stays and experimenting with morphine and atropine dosages on patients, later admitting she wanted to observe the drugs' effects on their nervous systems. She was dismissed from at least two hospital positions over the following years for suspected theft and reckless prescribing, but her professional reputation remained largely intact, allowing her to move into private nursing work.
Years of Undetected Killing
Starting in earnest in 1895, Toppan poisoned a series of landlords, friends, family members, and patients over roughly six years, frequently stealing from those she killed. Her victims included her own foster sister, Elizabeth, in 1899, and members of the Davis family, whose household she moved into in 1901 after already having killed the family matriarch. She later admitted to lying in bed with dying victims and holding them as they died, telling investigators the act brought her a form of sexual gratification — an unusual and disturbing element that set her case apart from most documented female serial killers of the era, whose crimes were typically motivated by financial gain rather than psychological satisfaction.
Discovery and Arrest
Toppan was finally caught after relatives of the Davis family grew suspicious and ordered a toxicology test on one of her victims, which came back positive for poison. She was arrested on October 29, 1901.
Trial and Confession
At her June 1902 trial in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Toppan was found not guilty by reason of insanity after an evaluation lasting only hours, and was committed for life to Taunton Insane Hospital. She was formally charged in connection with 12 deaths but confessed to her defense attorney that she had killed 31 people, and reportedly told others privately that the true number might be closer to 100, though this higher figure has never been independently confirmed.
Life and Death in the Asylum
Toppan initially refused to eat at the asylum, reportedly fearful her food might be poisoned. She remained institutionalized for the rest of her life and died there on August 17, 1938, at age 84.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people did Jane Toppan actually kill?
She was formally connected to 12 deaths and confessed to 31 murders to her own attorney. Higher figures, sometimes cited as close to 100, have never been independently confirmed.
Did Jane Toppan ever go to prison?
No. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1902 and spent the rest of her life committed to Taunton Insane Hospital, where she died in 1938.
What was Jane Toppan's motive?
She told investigators her murders brought her a form of sexual gratification, an unusual motive that distinguished her case from most other documented female serial killers of her era.