Louise Vermilyea

Louise Vermilyea ( 19th century - December 1911 ) was an American serial killer from Illinois . At least 9 people were killed by arsenic poisoning . She committed suicide under house arrest .

history

Victim

The 18-year series of murders began in 1893 when her first husband, Fred Brinkamp, ​​died on his Barrington farm, leaving her with an inheritance of $ 5,000. Due to his age of 60 years, it was still assumed that the cause of death was natural.

Not long afterwards, their two daughters, eight-year-old Cora Brinkamp and five-year-old Florence Brinkamp, ​​also died. In January 1906, Fred Brinkamp's granddaughter, the 26-year-old Lillian Brinkamp, ​​died in Chicago of an alleged "acute nephritis". The deaths appeared to the surrounding relatives now as if a curse lay on the family.

Louise then married 59-year-old Charles Vermilyea. His life ended in 1909. He left Louise Vermilyea $ 1,000. After the stepson Harry Vermilyea quarreled with Louise over the sale of a house near Crystal Lake , he too passed away, and again fate was on the agenda.

In 1910, Frank Brinkamp, ​​the 23-year-old son from his first marriage, died, leaving her with $ 1,200. On his deathbed, Frank voiced belated suspicions of his mother to his fiancée Elizabeth Nolan and told her that "he would follow the same path as father".

Since Louise's direct relatives were almost exterminated, she continued to mess around with friends.

The first victim was Jason Ruppert, a firefighter . After he was invited to dinner at Louise Vermilyea's on January 15, 1910, he fell ill. Two days later he was dead. The next was the train driver Richard Smith, who occasionally stayed with Louise to sublet.

First suspicion

Louise Vermilyea came into the crosshairs of the investigation when the 26-year-old policeman Arthur Bisonette, who lived with her as a sublet , fell ill and died at the end of October 1911. The homicide officers then spoke to Arthur Bisonette's father, who had dined with Louise on the evening in question and had also suffered from stomach ache after dinner. He testified that Louise sprinkled “white pepper” on the dish before serving. At the autopsy of Bisonette, traces of arsenic were found in his body, and Louise Vermilyea was placed under house arrest until other suspicious victims were exhumed .

findings

Since the motives for the crime could never be determined, it is assumed that the perpetrator was concerned with the respective estate, i.e. primarily financial motives played a role. The undertaker EN block of Barrington testified that "Louise felt comfortable around dead bodies, and although she was not employed by me, I could not keep away from my funeral them. She knew about every new death just as quickly as I did, and wherever I was called, it didn't take long before she was also present. "

While Louise Vermilyea was under house arrest, she vehemently denied having anything to do with the murders. Regarding the attempts by the police to prove the murders, she said: “You can go as far as you want, I have nothing to fear. I was just unfortunate that everyone around me suddenly died. "

death

On November 4, 1911, Louise Vermilyea herself was hospitalized with arsenic poisoning. Authorities found that she had self-poisoned her meals with arsenic since her house arrest on October 28. She died in December of the same year.

literature

• Female Serial Murderer. A Sociological Study of Homicide And the "Gentler Sex". Hannah Scott, Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY, 2005, 195 pages, ISBN 0-7734-6000-4 .

swell

1. ↑ NY Times report of November 1, 1911 - Mrs. Louise Vermilyea Arrested in Chicago Following a Policeman's Death
2. ↑ NY Times report of November 3, 1911 - Mrs. Vermilyea Replies to Insinuations
3. ↑ NY Times report of November 3, 1911 - Mrs. Vermilyea Replies to Insinuations at the NYT
4. ↑ NY Times report of November 2, 1911 - Police Fear Suicide of Woman Suspected of Poisoning Family