Men answered her matrimonial ads with their life savings in their pockets, hoping for a wife. Most of them were never seen again.
The Fire
On April 28, 1908, a fire destroyed the farmhouse of Belle Gunness, a widow living outside La Porte, Indiana. Three bodies believed to be her children were found in the wreckage, along with a headless adult body assumed to be Belle herself, though it was notably smaller than her known size — around 150 pounds compared to her reported 280.
A Trail of Suspicious Deaths
Belle had a history of controversy before the fire. Her first husband, Peter Gunness, died years earlier under circumstances she attributed to a kitchen accident, though the coroner at the time reportedly suspected foul play; no charges were filed. Belle had also placed matrimonial ads in Norwegian-language newspapers, corresponding with men and requesting money to help pay off debts before they arrived to meet her.
The Discovery
Suspicious that his missing brother, Andrew Helgelien, had traveled to meet Belle and never been heard from again, Asle Helgelien arrived in La Porte and pushed investigators to search the property further. Diggers uncovered multiple dismembered bodies buried around the farm, along with men's watches, bones, and teeth. In total, at least 14 victims were eventually identified or accounted for, most of them men who had responded to Belle's advertisements and brought savings with them.
Ray Lamphere
Belle's former handyman, Ray Lamphere, was arrested and tried in connection with the fire and deaths. A jury acquitted him of murder but convicted him of arson, and he was sentenced to two to twenty-one years in prison. He died in prison of tuberculosis, but before his death, he reportedly told a cellmate that Belle had killed a woman to serve as her decoy corpse, removed one of her own teeth to help fake her identity, and fled with her stolen fortune.
An Unsolved Ending
Whether the headless body found in the fire was actually Belle Gunness has never been conclusively proven. She was never seen again after the fire, and her ultimate fate remains unknown.
FAQ
How many people did Belle Gunness kill?
At least 14 victims were identified through remains found on her property, mostly men who responded to her matrimonial advertisements.
Did Belle Gunness die in the 1908 fire?
It has never been conclusively proven. A headless body was found in the wreckage, but questions about its identity persist to this day.
What happened to Ray Lamphere?
He was acquitted of murder but convicted of arson, receiving a sentence of two to twenty-one years, and died in prison of tuberculosis.