lois jurgens' deathis bill bruns still alive

One day, Zerwas walked into the squad room and found the two officers investigating Dennis death. In 1951, some 14 years before Dennis's death, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic entered this assessment in her file: "It is . VanderWyst, visiting him after the autopsy the night of Dennis death, told the family physician what Woodburn had found. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Barry Siegels chilling true crime book, A Death in White Bear Lake, chronicles the chilling case of a family from a picturesque town in Minnesota, and the cover up of a horrific crime that lasted for 20 years. . Lois E. Jurgens, 82, passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012 at Lakeland Health Care Center Elkhorn, WI. It would be no use.   Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. From the bench, he said he hoped that they could find something to explain the mistreatment of Dennis. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Jurgens, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. Lois was mean to DennisCam Brass and Donna Neely and the othersCam Brass and Donna Neely and the others understood that much. Thirty years after the original Death of Superman storyline, the iconic tale's writer Dan Jurgens has confirmed which alternate Superman villains almost killed the hero. The body was severely undernourished, nearly emaciated. They would not know for two weeks whether Dennis would need skin grafts, he had told Rekdahl. No one proposed handing the investigation to some other body--to, say, the county sheriffs office. It was awful. Please reset your password. Dr. Peterson said he saw nothing unusual in Dennis life or death.

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. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Minnesota Woman Found Guilty of Killing Adopted Son in 1965all about me: Murder of Dennis Jurgens - Blogger How could a little boy not scream out in pain as soon as he was burned? She demanded to know the truth about her son's death. They had only two requests. Clothing retains the heat. Do you have a camera in the car, he asked VanderWyst. I remember very clearly the pathologist coming in and saying it had to be a blow, not a fall, but I think the prosecutor felt he couldnt prove it, and I was on the same wavelength as the prosecutor. . Moments later, VanderWyst, rising to leave, asked Lois if there was anything else he could do, such as call her brother Jerome. The Jurgenses had wanted a younger child and Dennis was almost a year old. They were informed they would not be allowed to foster or adopt any additional children. . He assured that it was going on, that this would be his responsibility to get the information, bring it back to me so I could complete the certificate. Donna Mae, about 5 feet away, watched in horror as Lois force-fed that vomit to him, made him eat it. BOOK WORLD - The Washington Post The situation had made him uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that he hadnt pulled down the blankets or examined the body further. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. If the doc cant figure this out, hed say, well. When Dennis Jurgens died at the age of 3 in 1965, authorities here never ruled whether his death was an accident, a homicide or the result of natural causes. the Murderpedia project stay alive. At the funeral home, Lois Jurgens brother, Lloyd Zerwas, came to pay his respects. A Mrs. Charles reported a car blocking a driveway at 823 5th St. A Mrs. Krugger reported that children were damming the street at Elm and Ebba (there had been heavy rain the night before). . He would testify that he had talked to some lady down there. Lois attended cosmetology school in Des Moines, Iowa. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. They had checked on him throughout the night. . Though the specific cause of that fatal blow is not known, it is known that it was Lois who had given it to Dennis. Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood.

In Broad Daylight Korolchuk would never get the chance to answer such questions. You do consider social attitudes. Soon after, Jerry Puckett dropped her plan to convert--but by then Dennis was already registered as Catholic on the adoption rolls. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where she lived at the time. My biggest feeling was that it was a sad situation and I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. The author's ability to set the scene of a tranquil. Together they went into Dennis room to inspect the body. Brand New. She was diagnosed as having mixed psychoneurosis and also unable to conceive a child with Harold. No prosecution was taken at that time. He couldnt push Votel on this. Two hours before, sitting in his waterside home on the southeast shore of White Bear Lake, Sunday morning had seemed so promising. Lets not build up some fiction that now we have done everything we should do.. No, Lois said, sounding definite. There was a time when White Bear Lake was an exclusive watering hole for people from Chicago as well as the Twin Cities. In 1987, testifying 22 years later, Peterson was questioned again about the bruises. Yes! Its easy today to say, Why didnt they prosecute? but it was a different time, a different time. Dennis Craig Jurgens was an American 3-year-old boy who was murdered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota in April 1965.

 

There were, to begin with, the same photos of Dennis battered body on the coroners table. Unused Superman Art Reveals a Rejected Electric Costume Design . I was not trained in mental illness. I didnt look after that; I couldnt, she said. Our kids have fallen down steps and not died. Then there was the coroners report. Lois jurgens, 93, of arvada, colorado, formerly of malvern and glenwood, iowa, passed away june 13, 2022. lois jean jurgens, the daughter of lawrence a. and marjorie v. (johnson) jones, was born on may 26, 1929 in malvern, iowa. It looked to her as if the roses were placed there to cover up the dark blue markings. Many years later, Dr. Peterson would tell a grand jury that he had harbored suspicions about the burns, and also about several bruises that nurses noticed on Dennis while he was in the hospital for a full month. 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. Sadly, the mother-son reunion was not meant to be; Jerry's child had died just before his fourth birthday. They had been able to discuss Lois weaknesses, even her past mental depression, without Lois becoming too nervous or upset or defensive. To him, that was close to frightening. . They wanted an infant under a year old, and they wanted a Catholic child. . I have never seen anything like that done.. He looks like a boy of 10. The policemen were led to understand that an attorney representing the Jurgenses had visited them and threatened them with civil lawsuits if they spoke out. A Death in White Bear Lake is a true crime book by journalist Barry Siegel, published in 1990, which recounts the murder of Dennis Jurgens. Instead, Peterson would build an ice rink on his front lawnhed raise a circular wood wall, lay in six inches of leaves gathered from all the neighbors for mulch, then cover that with sheet plastic, one hundred feet long, fifty feet wide, and fill it with water from the hose. Lois Jurgens (at left) appeared with her attorney Doug Thomson in Ramsey County Courthouse Monday May 4, 1987. About: Lois Jurgens One might get a first impression that Lois was cold and indifferent, but to Rekdahl, this seemed a defense for insecurities. We came very close to trying to do something. That was all Gingold had to concern himself with. . This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Dennis was now fully accepted and loved in the family, she decided. They covered the face, the head, the arms. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below.

Oops, we were unable to send the email. The official cause of death was peritonitis due to perforation of the small bowel wich even 1965 was treatable if he'd been brought to the hospital . They owned a 1963 Chevrolet pickup and a 1960 Falcon station wagon. Lois Jurgens - Wikipedia . ``If she had been convicted of this in 1965 she probably would have done about three years, Thomson said. We reached a point where we could not find any new leads or pick up any new information . Those looking back now, those who unraveled the case, tend to shrug and shake their heads when Votels name comes up. In the decade preceding the adoption of Dennis, Lois Jurgens had suffered bouts of depression and psychosis, including an extended stay at a psychiatric institution where electroconvulsive therapy was administered. Lois JURGENS - Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers Eventually, all four of the siblings from Kentucky and Robert escaped the home by running away and getting help from concerned neighbors. From a newspaper notice of his death she had learned that the boys body bore multiple injuries and bruises. Lois Jurgens was disappointed about Dennis age. Rekdahl thought that Lois speech betrayed a bit of cynicism.

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. To keep creating Lois Jurgens (born 1925) is an American convicted murderer. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. Dr. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota.

 

She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Rekdahl thought Lois Jurgens, then almost 37, to be a rather attractive woman, although she was short and a trifle on the chubby side. Blankets covered him to the waist.

There was a large, swollen scrape on the forehead. . The same day that she spoke to the priest--Aug. 30, 1962--Rekdahl informed the Jurgenses that they were going to be approved for a second adoption. Dennis & Robert On the night of his death, Lois was in an extremely bad mood due to flooding which was filling up the basement with water. A jury deliberated about five hours Friday before finding Lois Jurgens, 61, of Stillwater, Minn., guilty of third-degree murder, or an unintentional killing. Sherwood's tenacity, along with the tragedy of her personal loss, kept the story in the public eye. . I would question him. angelizdsplace.com/. There were at least a dozen bruises on the face alone, some large and others small. The boy was obviously dead. A Death in White Bear Lake: The True Chronicle of an All-American Town A Death in White Bear Lake: The True Chronicle of an All-American Town According to reports from family members who eventually testified at the murder trial, Dennis turned purple from being force-fed the bitter and spicy horseradish and also having his oxygen supply cut off when Jurgens covered his mouth and nose. The first came now. Petersburg, ILLois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. Soon the word spread from house to housethered been a death, the younger Jurgens boy had died. 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. Although Lois was not charged with Dennis's murder, the death caused sufficient suspicion for the authorities to remove Robert from the home; he was placed with various relatives and one foster family for a period of just over five years, during which the Jurgens spent a great deal of effort and money attempting to regain custody. Almost immediately, Lois felt a severe, obsessive dislike of the child, who was a normal, rambunctious, and spirited toddlerunlike Robert, who in Lois' eyes, was the "good son." My deputy reassured me from time to time.

 

Is it quite customary to see a little boy with so many bruises, he was asked. I tried to assure her that these things happen in any family.. Pitera would take photos later that day.

 

  There was a bluish mark on the right side of the head that started at the temple and extended to behind the right ear. He would later learn much more, would attend seminars and organize a county task force on the problem, but it cannot be said that Gingold knew nothing in 1965 about the battered-child syndrome. At this time there are a number of persons yet to be contacted who supposedly have information and are relatives of the family, Korolchuk wrote on Thursday, April 15, four days after the death. Lois Jurgens at the time that she had custody of Dennis. The mother was an unmarried 17-year-old, Jerry Ann Puckett, an attractive blonde of Danish-German extraction. Dennis had thrown up then. . This drove Lois further into madness, as she felt she needed children to complete the "perfect picture" of her life. VanderWyst was not close social friends with the Jurgenses, but he knew them well enough to greet them on the street. They talked with more than a dozen relatives and neighbors of the Jurgenses. Why werent his hands burned--wouldnt he have instinctively reached down to protect himself? However, he was in failing health and his autopsy results did not indicate poisoning. . . he told the grand jury last year. Forever' w/ the
It was not his job to do anything other than pronounce the boy dead. conviction
During her several postplacement visits to the Jurgens home in the following, probationary year, Rekdahl increasingly came to judge the placement a success. Camille Brass knew the blue convertible belonged to Dr. Peterson. . Lois Jurgens, it turns out, was from the start a poor parental bet. It was highly unlikely that a fall on a flat surface could have caused this. Lois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. Peritonitis is a horribly painful illness involving shock, collapse of the blood vessel system, high fever and breathing difficulties. home
contact How could a kid fall down the steps and die? As it happened, Peterson at the time was deputy coroner in Ramsey County. The testimony from Dr. Woodburn, the pathologist who did the autopsy on Dennis, was unequivocal. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens (August 12, 1925 May 7, 2013) was an American convicted murderer responsible for one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. How a Group of Desperate Comics Creators Hatched Doomsday - Vulture

 

For a time, that appeared to be the end of the story. This month is the 30th anniversary of the release of "A Death in White Bear Lake," a book by then-Los Angeles Times reporter Barry Siegel. We wanted to tell someone, she said. 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.
And it was not my position to do anything other than to pronounce him dead.. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. 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. "There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved.". Murder of Dennis Craig Jurgens | Mystery & Crime Amino Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? In 1992 A made-for-TV movie was made based on both Jerry's story and this case called, ' A Child Lost Forever ' w/ the remarkable Beverly D'Angelo as Jerry Sherwood and Judith Ivey as Lois Jurgens. The childs death occurred before there were state-mandated sentencing guidelines, and Thomson argued that she should have served less time. The threat of a criminal prosecution is way by the boards now. The boy would be gasping and choking for breath until she would fear that he would drown. Rekdahl expressed some concern. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. The hole had allowed a fifth of a quart of infectious, purulent fecal material to flow into the abdominal cavity. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Jurgens would make his debut as a comic book writer with Sun Devils he began scripting from Conway's plots with #8 and fully took over the writing duties on the title with #10. They attempted to mind their own business and feared retribution from Lois, who was not above threatening the lives of her family members. This is a story about respectable men and women of the middle class--doctors, lawyers, priests, social workers, policemen, neighbors and relatives--whose behavior, taken as a whole, led not to that milieus promised decency and justice but to a moral outrage, dark and hard to understand. ). Thank you very much in advance. There is a lot to be known about the science of this whole darn subject, he said. The word homicide remained unspoken. She thought they had a lovely home. Dennis had fallen and hit his head on the wet basement floor the day before, the Jurgenses said, and he also had been suffering from a bad cold. That isnt an issue at all.
Several relatives now told the investigators they would not sign statements.

The way Lindholm figured it, instead of prosecuting Lois Jurgens for murder, lets move to take Robert away. The Lineup's Most Disturbing True Crime Bestsellers When patrolman Robert VanderWyst arrived at the Jurgens home soon after, he found the doctor, the Jurgenses and 5-year-old Robert in the living room. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. That will require a juvenile hearing on neglect. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. He does not sound very well behaved, she said. My clients have rights, he said. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Lois Jurgens. Murder of Dennis Jurgens - Wikiwand 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. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota More Alchetron Topics References Lois Jurgens Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA Topics The Suspicions of Mr Whicher Toz (film) Steve McAnespie Harold and Lois Jurgens, a middle-class, churchgoing couple in picturesque White Bear Lake, Minnesota, had adopted Dennis and five other foster children. She was a good dozen years younger than the Jurgenses. Along with the aforementioned evidence of starvation and the scarring and bite-marks on his genitalia, the coroner discovered multiple lacerations and multiple generations of bruises covering most of his body. They attempted to mind their own business and feared retribution from Lois, who was not above threatening the lives of her family members. The Death of Superman By Jurgens, TPB, DC Comics 1993, New, Sealed. HH . This treatment, along with the exertion as he struggled, sickened Dennis to the point of vomiting, which further enraged Jurgens, who then forced him to eat his vomit.

Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965.

We thought it would be no use..
She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Failed to report flower. Just past one year of age, Dennis was placed in the Jurgens' home in 1962, in anticipation of an adoption after spending much of his first year in foster care. Clayton Robinson Jr., a former prosecutor in the case, said Jurgens should not have been released yet. A system error has occurred. A piano and bass fiddle occupied the living room. None.. We didnt believe it was possible in nice, middle-class suburban families.. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. She believed that Lois had opened up a great deal and tried to be as truthful as possible. He returned to the Jurgens home in time to meet the coroners investigator, Saveiro Pitera. He had one great friend, his world's Lois, but she died and now he sees another version of her still alive and pregnant. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. It began one month after Dennis death and continued for two days, May 10 and 11, 1965. Nonetheless, when Harold Jurgens called three days later and asked when they could get their boy, Rekdahl and the Scott County officials allowed the Jurgenses to take Dennis for a preplacement visit. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national headlines and was the top news story of the state of Minnesota in 1987. Oops, something didn't work. from United States. Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks Break Down Young Jon Kent's Return in Lois It is essentially unconceivable to me, without a protruding object above the floor, that he could have been injured in this way, Woodburn said. When he arrived at the Jurgens home, though, hed realized all that was pointless. The perforation, he judged, had occurred one to two days before the childs death. Statements in the police logs were riddled with discrepancies. Dennis was adopted by the Jurgens, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, a suburb of Saint Paul: Harold Robert Jurgens, a former bandleader turned electrician, and Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens, a homemaker. This is the story of a small boys murder that went undeclared and unprosecuted for 22 years in a community full of people who knew what had happened. Lois thought that would be a good idea. The next day, Rekdahl phoned the Jurgenses family physician, Dr. Roy Peterson, who was treating Dennis. Robert lived with other relatives, ultimately settling for two years with a distant cousin before he returned home. The coroner noted in his report that Dennis had almost zero subcutaneous fat, at the level of a person who had died of starvation. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer.

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