When it froze, hed hang lights on the seven surrounding elm trees, put out snow sculptures of bears and seals tinted with food coloring, and invite all the neighborhood kids to join his own two children in skating and hockey games. After The Murder. Buy It Now. Jurgens was one of 16 children. I have never seen anything like that done.. They would not know for two weeks whether Dennis would need skin grafts, he had told Rekdahl. [2] She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota . The Jurgens' adoption of Robert seemed successful in the eyes of authorities, who began to consider the possibility that they might adopt more children through official channels. I tried to assure her that these things happen in any family.. Clayton Robinson Jr., a former prosecutor in the case, said Jurgens should not have been released yet. We are sad to announce that on September 25, 2019, at the age of 92, Lois Jurgens (Petersburg, Illinois) passed away. There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved. This is a carousel with slides. He naps both in the forenoon and the afternoon. Rekdahl was a little concerned, since the accident actually had happened seven days before the phone call, but her main inclination was to soothe Lois Jurgens. The case drew widespread publicity and was the subject of a book and a made-for-television movie. Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. Still, she had never forgotten the case. As he viewed the body, he thought: This boy has been murdered. Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. En dd i White Bear Lake - A Death in White Bear Lake
We didnt believe it was possible in nice, middle-class suburban families.. To keep creating None of this, however, was what had killed Dennis. A Death in White Bear Lake: Notorious crime in city history marks 50 .   conviction
A piano and bass fiddle occupied the living room. A parade of neighbors and relatives called to the stand by the Jurgenses attorney, Edward Donohue, all denied seeing any evidence of abuse. Lois E. Jurgens, 82, passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012 at Lakeland Health Care Center Elkhorn, WI. He would testify that he had talked to some lady down there. Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood.

Make sure that the file is a photo. The doctors eyes slid to a corner of the room.   He could never forget how Lois Jurgens looked at those photos stoically, showing no emotion. Harold Jurgens suggested that perhaps they should not go forward with the adoption of Dennis, but Lois refused out of concern that it would discourage the authorities from allowing them to adopt further children.

The coroner noted in his report that Dennis had almost zero subcutaneous fat, at the level of a person who had died of starvation. Then there was the coroners report. Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens Obituary We are sad to announce that on June 13, 2022 we had to say goodbye to Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens of Arvada, Colorado. Failed to delete memorial. The Lineup's Most Disturbing True Crime Bestsellers Lois Jurgens Biography | HowOld.co . The electric streetcar with overhead power lines, running as a spur off the main railroad tracks along Highway 61, would stop just three doors down. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Lois Jurgens was the infamous subject of one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota.She was the adoptive mother of six children in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutally abused them all, killing one of them, three-year-old Dennis Jurgens, in 1965.. Jurgens was one of sixteen children. On Feb. 11, 1964, the commissioner of public welfare, as legal guardian for Dennis, consented to his formal adoption by Harold and Lois Jurgens. Lois Jurgens | Photos | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers One might get a first impression that Lois was cold and indifferent, but to Rekdahl, this seemed a defense for insecurities. Donna Mae, about 5 feet away, watched in horror as Lois force-fed that vomit to him, made him eat it. There was no possibility that Dennis had died from a blow to the head, and scarce chance that he had died from a fall on the flat basement floor. It was harder to believe that Dennis had been awake and talking normally an hour and a half before he died. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Instead the judge agonized, repeatedly expressing from the bench his sense of conflict and uncertainty. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. Lois Jurgens had a reputation amongst her extended family and neighbors as an intense, angry woman with a short and volatile temper, but Dennis' arrival in her home provoked sadistic rages that targeted Dennis as he aged from one to three-and-a-half years of age. Star Tribune photo by Donald Black. There is a lot to be known about the science of this whole darn subject, he said. Aside from the incident when Dennis was hospitalized with burns on his genitals, there were many other incidents of abuse which fell under the category of sexual sadism. They talked with more than a dozen relatives and neighbors of the Jurgenses. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. I think my son is dying, Harold Jurgens had told the doctor on the phone that morning. How could a kid fall down the steps and die? Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. By all accounts, Lois was obsessed with abusing Dennis, and she wanted the world to know he was a "bad child," and made no apologies about the inappropriate way she was disciplining him. Murder of Dennis Jurgens Wiki & Bio - everipedia.org Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates).

The St. Paul Pioneer Press ran a cover story about the investigation on Sunday, October 12, 1986. When you judge a case, you dont do so in a vacuum, Lindholm would explain years later in an interview. The next day, Rekdahl phoned the Jurgenses family physician, Dr. Roy Peterson, who was treating Dennis. They carried assorted life insurance polices worth $10,000. You couldnt get action from the prosecutor and police. Maybe we can get more evidence from there. All I could do was shake my head.. . That will make you swallow, Lois had said. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Dennis Craig Jurgens (December 6, 1961 April 11, 1965) was an American 3-year-old boy who was murdered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota in April 1965. I felt we actually checked out the concerns quite carefully.. WHAT happened? The boy would be gasping and choking for breath until she would fear that he would drown. From their patio, they could see huge bass jumping in the water. At the hearing a month later, Peterson was asked whether he saw anything unusual as he viewed the body in the crib.

Lois also was not pleased to learn how active Dennis was. There is in the Scott County records a description of Dennis in the foster home where he lived his first year: He is solidly built, with blue eyes and blond hair. Lois Jurgens had a reputation amongst her extended family and neighbors as an intense, angry woman with a short and volatile temper, but Dennis' arrival in her home provoked sadistic rages that targeted Dennis as he aged from one to .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}3+12 years of age. My biggest feeling was that it was a sad situation and I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. Korolchuk wondered: Why wasnt a doctor called to the home in the day before Dennis died, when he must have been extremely and obviously ill? According to sworn testimony by both Korolchuk and VanderWyst before a grand jury last year, Zerwas at the time warned the investigating officers that he would do everything in his power to keep his sisters name clear. He attended Olney Rural Elementary School and graduated from Filley High School in 1959. Lois Jurgens had not one good thing to say about Dennis. Its so expensive.My friend, after twenty thousand years murder is still a business thats mainly in the hands of amateurs.Orson Welles (19151985), Its almost as if they were saying, You live your life, and well live ours.Richard Fielding, and Lee Sholem. Lois Jurgens.

There was something wrong here. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? There was testimony from other officers that he impeded the investigation into the child's death. Years later, the attorney representing Roberts interests at the 1965 custody hearing would still remember those photos. . None of us knew about child abuse. Clothing retains the heat. Eventually, all four of the siblings from Kentucky and Robert escaped the home by running away and getting help from concerned neighbors. Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks Break Down Young Jon Kent's Return in Lois The prosecutor had a different attitude back then, Votel said recently. Lois is survived by her husband, Floyd Jurgens; children Gary Jurgens and Caron Klein (Bruce);. Jurgens, now 69, was convicted of third-degree murder in 1987 in what at the time was the oldest homicide to go to trial in Minnesota. Meanwhile, Dennis was getting whirlpool baths every day. Fittingly for a major anniversary like . Peterson departed soon after. Jurgens was the only fatal victim of Lois Jurgens, his adoptive mother and a prolific child abuser, who abused a total of six adopted children from 1960 to 1975. View Obituary & Service Information Sherwood became suspicious and persuaded authorities to investigate. I dont think this case is an aberration at all, said Michael McGee, the current Ramsey County medical examiner who finally ruled Dennis death a homicide. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. A Death in White Bear Lake: The True Chronicle of an All-American Town Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where she lived at the time.
Novel and Adaptations: Barry Siegel's true-crime novel A Death in White Bear Lake recounts the story via extensive research and oral history.

Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965.

The doctor did not want to be there. She was a good dozen years younger than the Jurgenses.

  It was full of redwood and log railings, and the lawn and trees ran almost to the waters edge, a good hundred feet of lake frontage in all. They attempted to mind their own business and feared retribution from Lois, who was not above threatening the lives of her family members. The neighbors talked among themselves that afternoon. Lois had a question: Would Father Riser write a letter in support of their present effort to adopt another child, a third child? Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. To receive the type of severe burns he suffered, Dennis would have had to be exposed to steaming-hot water for a significant length of time. Brand New. Sherwood also told D'Angelo that Dana Ivey's interpretation of Lois Jurgens is eerily accurate. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Lois Jurgens Obituary (2019) - Petersburg, IL - Legacy.com Lois' remedy for the toddler wetting his diaper too frequently was to place a spring-action clothespin upon the end of his penis. Lois Jurgens had a reputation amongst her extended family and neighbors as an intense, angry woman with a short and volatile temper, but Dennis' arrival in her home provoked sadistic rages that targeted Dennis as he aged from one to three-and-a-half years of age. Thanks for your help! Rekdahl found her judgment confirmed by the Jurgenses priest. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . Superman Writer Confirms Which Villains Almost Killed the - ScreenRant Lois Jurgens was sentenced to 25 years in the Shakopee women's correctional facility for third-degree murder. Dennis was lying face up in his crib, his stiffened arms raised eight inches off the bed. Try again. When the wind was up, Peterson would take out his sixteen-foot sailboat and glide toward Manitou Island and the town of White Bear.

Rekdahl did know that Lois had a history of psychiatric problems involving a nervous breakdown in the early 1950s. At first Bob Brass thought the squad car was Loiss brothers, but then they saw VanderWyst in the driveway. She was diagnosed as having mixed psychoneurosis and also unable to conceive a child with Harold. With the exception of the severe burns, his health remained quite good. In addition, Lois took to tying Dennis' limbs to the bedposts to keep him in bed, and tied him to the toilet to force a bowel movement. You see, Gingold said, I didnt have to go that far. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Jurgens, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. When she was 17 and living in a juvenile home, she said, she gave birth to a boy, Dennis, who was quickly taken from her and eventually adopted by a family named Jurgens who lived in White Bear Lake. In 1987, Jurgens was convicted of third-degree murder of Dennis. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Years later, Peterson would say much the same to the police who were reopening the case, but he did not do so in 1965. Donna Neely wondered, as she studied the Jurgenses now-silent house from her front window. Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast | a podcast by murdershelfbookclub When Dennis messed his bed, she said, she forced the boy to eat his feces.
Jurgens was the only fatal victim of Lois Jurgens, his adoptive mother and a prolific child abuser, who abused a total of six adopted children from 1960 to 1975. She committed one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. Jurgens was the only fatal victim of Lois Jurgens, his adoptive mother and a prolific child abuser, who abused a total of six adopted children from 1950 to 1970. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Rekdahl was developing real doubts about this placement, but the Jurgenses decided to go see Dennis that afternoon. She was cleared of second-degree . The official records say 1,200 children died of abuse in 1986, but many experts believe the figure would reach 5,000 if closer attention were paid to some deaths attributed to accident or blamed on sudden infant death syndrome.

There was a bluish mark on the right side of the head that started at the temple and extended to behind the right ear. 0 cemeteries found in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota, USA. Did the doctor remember his thoughts on why this child died, his inner feelings that day? Lois' remedy for the toddler wetting his diaper too frequently was to place a spring-action clothespin upon the end of his penis. Martin fritz obituary. There are a lot of dead babies in the ground who were killed.. He does not sound very well behaved, she said. She was predeceased by : her parents, Leslie Stowell and Margaret Stowell. In spite of extensive physical evidence pointing towards severe . Minnesota Woman Found Guilty of Killing Adopted Son in 1965 Lois Jurgens - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia The word homicide remained unspoken.

The next day, Dennis brother, Robert, was picked up and taken to a local hospital, on order of Juvenile Court Judge Archie Gingold. The defense attorney was still thinking about a criminal prosecution--even if no one else was. Beatings and displays of Lois' explosive temper were daily events; especially bad days could include her slamming a child's forehead into a nail protruding from a wall, forcing a child to stand barefoot in snow, and shoving a used sanitary napkin in a child's face. He had read the early articles that by then had been published. Product details Publisher : Ballantine Books (November 28, 2000) Language : English Paperback : 560 pages ISBN-10 : 0345487176 Now VanderWyst was looking at him, asking a question: What was the cause of death?. . During his short life, Dennis .

 

Peterson did not give us any conclusive answers about the condition of Dennis or about his death, VanderWyst wrote in his report for that night. For that reason, Dennis, a week after his birth, was baptized a Catholic. The Jurgenses returned to their house on Gardenette Drive, childless but free of any charge. In winter, they got the north wind, so the lake froze too rough for ice skating. She was right. He couldnt push Votel on this. She remembered the names, the faces--she particularly remembered Dennis. There was also talk years earlier of her having started the fire at her in-laws' home which killed her mother-in-law, with whom she never got along. The Death of Superman By Jurgens, TPB, DC Comics 1993, New, Sealed. HH They beat my baby to death, Sherwood told Buzz Harvey. Votel could not take the first step. He felt that Lois mental breakdown was not extremely serious and that she had completely recovered. During her several postplacement visits to the Jurgens home in the following, probationary year, Rekdahl increasingly came to judge the placement a success. Many years later, at his mother's trial, by then 27-year-old Robert recounted the events of that evening, testifying that his mother had beaten Dennis extensively and had thrown him down the stairs. Lois Jean Jurgens, the daughter of Lawrence A. and Marjorie V. (Johnson) Jones, was born on May 26, 1929 in Malvern, Iowa. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter and get terrifying tales delivered straight to your inbox. . ANGELIZD's Place - Child Abuse Pages - Dennis Craig JurgensHarold (Harry) Jurgens Obituary - Tribute Archive In 2005, playwright Brian Vinero wrote a theatre piece, The Jurgens File, which was developed at New York City's 78th Street Theatre Lab; it told the story from the perspective of the community. They had seen Lois pull Dennis ears so hard that blood flowed. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. I want photos of this, he thought. Sherwood's tenacity, along with the tragedy of her personal loss, kept the story in the public eye. None.. White Bear Lake, Minnesota. We would like to have done something, but it was none of our business. About 50 witnesses provided a mixed story. Lois was born on March 4, 1930, in Iowa the daughter of the late Axel and Lena. I just examined him to see that he was in fact dead.

 

The coroner noted there was evidence of adult, human bite marks on his penis and scarring all over his scrotum; he was also found to be wearing two diapers and a pair of rubber pants at the age of three and one-half years. Lois Jurgens agreed, but seemed scared that she would not be offered another child. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really We reached a point where we could not find any new leads or pick up any new information .

That was not binding on the prosecutor, but the defense attorney would zero in on this. This, coupled with the lack of a statute of limitations for a murder charge, could lead the way to a prosecution of Lois Jurgens. Robert was returned to the Jurgens home and, going through new channels, the couple was eventually able to adopt four school-aged siblings from Kentucky. There appeared to be a number of discrepancies in the Jurgenses story, he noted. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens to show support. Notes [ edit] ^ "ANGELIZD's Place - Child Abuse Pages - Dennis Craig Jurgens". HH at the best online prices at eBay! Lois thought that would be a good idea. As he read, he stiffened in his chair. She had a pathological need for control over her environment and obsessively cleaned and tended to her home and garden, desperate to appear the picture of the perfect housewife. The adoption should be approved. Forever' w/ the Lois Jurgens released after serving eight years, The Winona Daily News, June, 7, 1995. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Harold told relatives he was going to be out of town the weekend of April 10 and 11, 1965. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. But how did such an infection occur in the first place? Many years later, asked in court how this placement was approved, Rekdahl--by then a psychotherapist and psychiatric social worker in Napa, Calif., remarried and using the name Gerane Wharton-Park--said: We finally had really no exacting reasons why we could turn this family down.
Chesterfield Va Obituaries, Maramia Tea And Fertility, Arbol Nativo De La Patagonia Crucigrama, Que Significa Ver A La Muerte En Persona, Articles L