lois jurgens' death

In fact, it appalled and amazed her because she herself thought the baby extremely appealing, very friendly, with very beautiful blue eyes and a very nice smile. Do you have a camera in the car, he asked VanderWyst. We would like to have done something, but it was none of our business. She would be a poor candidate for adopting a child at this time, the psychiatrist in 1955 had advised St. Pauls Bureau of Catholic Charities, where the Jurgenses for years had vainly sought children. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . I looked down. She said she had set Dennis in the sink to wash him after he had wet his diaper, then had gone into another room to get a clean diaper. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. SHAKOPEE, Minn. (AP) _ A mother who beat her adopted son to death and then covered up the crime for two decades was released from prison today after serving eight years. The roller coaster had been just to the west of his lot, the water slide just to the east, and the dance pavilion exactly where his house now stood, the old foundation still there below his lawn and patio. 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. When Harold took him to the bathroom at about 7:30 or 8 in the morning, Dennis had seemed fine. Peritonitis is a horribly painful illness involving shock, collapse of the blood vessel system, high fever and breathing difficulties. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. Dan Jurgens, one of the chief minds at DC who spearheaded the Man of Steel's death and rebirth in the '90s, took to Twitter to share an unused design of Electric Superman -- sometimes called . Vachss uttalte at boken ikke forklarer begrunnelsen for at Harold er passiv, mens den har tilstrekkelig informasjon om Lois Jurgens. He doesnt look like a tiny little kid, he thought. To keep creating According to Rekdahls written log, that was the sum of what Peterson said to her. The next day, Rekdahl phoned the Jurgenses family physician, Dr. Roy Peterson, who was treating Dennis. She knew he had high school and one year of college behind him, and that he was an only child with strong bonds to his mother. Gladys and Dorothy talked frequently to each other about what they had seen, not unaware that theyd recommended the Jurgenses to the welfare department caseworker. 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. 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. Votel could not take the first step. I was advised that the information was being obtained, that there was an ongoing investigation, Votel said recently. . Jurgens was one of 16 children. Testimony from neighbors and family members told of young Dennis showing up to public events wearing sunglasses at the age of two, to hide his frequent black eyes. 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. In spite of extensive physical evidence pointing towards severe abuse, the medical examiner did not classify the death under any of the standard classifications of accident, suicide or murder; he simply marked it "deferred". Retrieved 12 February 2015. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White . #dennisjurgens #jerrysherwood #truecrime Jerry Puckett's mother abandoned her when she was three, she was raised by her father and abused by two stepmothers.. plans and enthusiasm Lois Jurgens was at home alone with the children much of the weekend of Dennis' death.

 

Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. 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. . I have several children about that age with this same problem. Lois had had a history of mental illnesses including depression and psychosis and was originally deemed . He attended Olney Rural Elementary School and graduated from Filley High School in 1959. It was as if the authorities had found a way to try Lois Jurgens for Dennis death without calling it a murder.

 

And her release from the states prison for women in Shakopee only angered the biological mother whose search for her child led to the discovery of the crime. One day, Zerwas walked into the squad room and found the two officers investigating Dennis death. Instead the judge agonized, repeatedly expressing from the bench his sense of conflict and uncertainty. She also describes him as a clown, always laughing at himself or other people when they are around. Years later, Dr. Lynn Solem, the present director of the burn center at St. Paul-Ramsey Hospital, would explain that though this type of burn is now regarded as a sign of child abuse, in 1963 it would have been accepted as accidental. On April 26, Korolchuk drafted an analysis of the information they had gathered. They talked with more than a dozen relatives and neighbors of the Jurgenses. . Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Year should not be greater than current year. At first, that seemed to be the conclusion that the official inquiry would also reach. He has no teeth yet, but they are coming. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. . It is fair to say that this finding raised considerable questions. 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. They had a son--a 2-year-old named Robert, whom they had adopted at birth through private channels. The victim She was born February 25, 1927 to Leslie and Margaret Stowell in Cass County Il. Learn more about merges. Deferred, Votel had written. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. This case was a drop of water in the river.. Other than that, nothing remarkable.. On January 13, 2000, she was initially suspected of poisoning her husband, Harold. . 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. The case is described in detail in Barry Siegel's true-crime novel, A Death in White Bear Lake. . he told the grand jury last year. I dont know how to describe it, she said. . They covered the legs, the arms, the hands, the head, the shoulders, the back of the head, the buttocks, the small of the back, the middle of the back, the back of the left leg. . On the night of his death, Lois was in an extremely bad mood due to flooding which was filling up the basement with water. Harold and Lois Jurgensa middle-class, churchgoing couple who had been unable to have children of their ownhad adopted Sherwood's son, Dennis, in 1962. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. You can second-guess yourself until you get an ulcer, Lindholm said recently. She was the adoptive mother of six children in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutally abused them all, killing one of them, 3-year-old Dennis Jurgens, in 1965.

 

The foster mother thinks him a little wild one, but she means this appreciatively and derives pleasure from his antics. Lois Jurgens was convicted in May 1987 of murder (by abuse) in the death 22 years earlier of her adopted son, Dennis. There was testimony from other officers that he impeded the investigation into the child's death. Robert was leaving things alone at the age of 1 year. . From behind their curtains and blinds, the Jurgenses neighbors on Gardenette Drive had been watching the comings and goings all morning with mounting interest. Jurgens' other adopted son, Robert, testified at the trial, at which Lois Jurgens (then in her 60s) was convicted of third-degree murder and sentenced to prison.[4]. Jurgens who says he still has the yellow legal pad on which he did his quick sketch was the victor. He does not sound very well behaved, she said. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. To the casual observer, the Jurgens seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. Dennis died that evening of Peritonitis due to a perforation of his small bowel. A common belief amongst witnesses and neighbors at the time of the murder, and among the investigators who eventually re-opened the case, is that he interfered with the investigation and destroyed incriminating evidence. He would wait until the police investigation could resolve the matter. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. When he wouldnt have a bowel movement, she said, she pulled the feces from his rectum with her hands. The Jurgenses were delighted. Years later, the attorney representing Roberts interests at the 1965 custody hearing would still remember those photos. In summer, Peterson caught little sunfish off his dock or from his motorboatthey had the loveliest taste, the fillet just the size of a half dollar, two good bites each. The mother was an unmarried 17-year-old, Jerry Ann Puckett, an attractive blonde of Danish-German extraction. Sherwood's tenacity, along with the tragedy of her personal loss, kept the story in the public eye. Published Jan 18, 2023. she grew up and attended school in malvern, graduating in 1947. lois attended cosmetology school in des moines, iowa. Rekdahl found her judgment confirmed by the Jurgenses priest. Robert lived with other relatives, ultimately settling for two years with a distant cousin before he returned home. While he waited for the coroners investigator to arrive, he asked Lois Jurgens if there was anything he could do--such as take Robert to his own home, to be cared for by his wife.

Strange, he thought, that she hadnt called her brother, the police lieutenant. convicted of murder Please try again later. The rows of neatly kept houses, the modern police station and the shopping strips all reflect a level of modest comfort rather than affluence. . Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. How could a kid fall down the steps and die? Man held is death of retarded foster child, Minneapolis Star, May 21, 1971. He wanted others to go first. She seemed to Scott County welfare workers a hostile and sullen young woman, unhappy and emotionally underdeveloped. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Drag images here or select from your computer for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens memorial. Rekdahl expressed some concern. Still, she had never forgotten the case. This had required at least two hospitalizations at the Mayo Clinic and at a small psychiatric hospital called Crestview, where she had received electrical shock treatments. None.. Four days after he drafted this analysis, on April 30, he and VanderWyst were pulled off the case. DENNIS JURGENS WAS ONLY 3-YEARS-0LD WHEN HIS LIFE ENDED AT THE CRUEL HANDS OF HIS MOTHER LOIS JURGENS AND SHE WOULD HAVE GOT AWAY WITH IT, BUT HIS BIOLOGICAL MOTHER JERRY SHERWOOD STARTED. Lois Jurgens had not one good thing to say about Dennis. I think my son is dying, Harold Jurgens had told the doctor on the phone that morning. 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. Two or three couples signed written statements. DC artist Dan Jurgens shares an image of an unused Electric Blue Superman design from 1996, reminiscing about what might have been. Its not unusual, the doctor said. Lois Jurgens, 93, of Arvada, Colorado, formerly of Malvern and Glenwood, Iowa, passed away June 13, 2022. Thanks for your help! Failed to remove flower. I was young then, just out of college, the social worker said recently in an interview. It had always troubled her, more than any she handled before or since. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. and Judith Ivey as When the wind was up, Peterson would take out his sixteen-foot sailboat and glide toward Manitou Island and the town of White Bear. Within months of Dennis' arrival, he was rushed to the hospital with first and second-degree burns on his genitalia, which were reported and accepted as accidental. She was 61 when she went to prison and served eight years before being paroled.. Obituary. In 1965, Votel said, he thought this was certainly a battered-child case, but the reports indicated that the child had fallen down some stairs. The afflicted look and act very sick for a matter of hours, sometimes days. 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. A parade of neighbors and relatives called to the stand by the Jurgenses attorney, Edward Donohue, all denied seeing any evidence of abuse. Sherwood eventually located Dennis's death certificate; because the death was categorized as "deferred", the case was still technically open. Thirty years later, writer and artist Dan Jurgens is revisiting the storyline that gripped the world.

No prosecution was taken at that time. 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. With the advent of highways, White Bear Lake has become a suburb of St. Paul, about 12 miles to the south. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. To use this feature, use a newer browser. There was something wrong here. Then there was the coroners report. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. On bare skin, the heat just flashes off. When Dennis messed his bed, she said, she forced the boy to eat his feces. I didnt look after that; I couldnt, she said. Mrs. On Nov. 28, 1962, members of the Scott and Ramsey counties welfare departments, including Rekdahl, had a conference in the town of Shakopee. So began a painstaking inquiry into the past--an inquiry that in recent months has pulled back the curtains on a decidedly uncomfortable vision. Try again later. Star Tribune photo by Donald Black. There was a television movie broadcast in 1992 on NBC en*led A Child Lost Forever that told the story from the perspective of Jerry Sherwood (played by Beverly D'Angelo).

 

As the new adopted children were older, there were many first-hand histories (recounted to the media during the 1987 trial of Lois Jurgens) describing the severe abuse they suffered at their adoptive mother's hands. . He feared finding himself alone. Harold and Lois Jurgensa middle-class, churchgoing couple who had been unable to have children of their ownhad adopted Sherwoods son, Dennis, in 1962. The way Lindholm figured it, instead of prosecuting Lois Jurgens for murder, lets move to take Robert away. When the White Bear Lake police called her a year ago, she knew immediately whom they were talking about. That was why the judge wanted Lois Jurgens to consent to a thorough, inpatient examination by a psychiatrist he knew and trusted. My biggest feeling was that it was a sad situation and I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. Lois Jurgens, know for her short, volatile temper, murdered him. Brand New. Three-year-old Dennis Craig (Puckett) Jurgens was tortured to death in the wee hours of April 11th, 1965. 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. Opens in a new window or tab. They had just buried the body, and that was all. Their flight, coupled with the lingering suspicions surrounding Dennis' death, resulted in the termination of Lois and Harold Jurgens' parental rights. You couldnt get action from the prosecutor and police. Lois obsessed about Dennis' weight, which according to medical records was appropriate for a child of his age and build at the point of his adoption. After seeing newspaper reports about the death, she was convinced that he had been beaten to death and demanded the case be re-opened. On the stand, the Jurgenses had refused to answer questions about Dennis. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. There was a time when White Bear Lake was an exclusive watering hole for people from Chicago as well as the Twin Cities. While visiting one Thanksgiving, she saw Lois force-feed Dennis, in a highchair, by shoving a fork full of food into his mouth. Lois was accused of murdering and beating her adopted son Dennis Jurgens in 1965 but wasn't convicted until 1987 and only spent 8 years of her sentence before being paroled in 1995. I have never seen anything like that done.. ). From the patio off his living room and the balcony off his bedroom, he could look across the lake to Manitou Island, and beyond, to the town of White Bear. Try again later. This was a murder. Lois walks past the TV cameras on her way to the courtroom on January 30, 1987, to plead not guilty to three counts of murder. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? last Peter Korolchuk yielded a good deal of information. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. How in the heck could that happen? Donna Marlene Norton, Lois sister, was there that day and saw the same thing. Dennis had died of peritonitis. Statements in the police logs were riddled with discrepancies. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens (August 12, 1925 May 7, 2013) was an American convicted murderer[1] responsible for one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. HH at the best online prices at eBay! To perforate a bowel, the doctors agreed, there had to be severe, concentrated trauma applied to the abdomen--the sort of injury that could be expected in a high-speed automobile accident. 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. But this death didnt look as though it was from natural causes. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. harold e bageant obituary visitation funeral information. In winter, they got the north wind, so the lake froze too rough for ice skating. By all accounts, Lois was obsessed with abusing Dennis, and she wanted the world to know he was a "bad child"; she made no apologies about the inappropriate way she was disciplining him. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. the prosecution saw Lois Jurgens
When he wet his pants, she said, she put a clothespin on his penis. This drove Lois further into madness, as she felt she needed children to complete the "perfect picture" of her life. Harold and Lois Jurgens, a middle-class, churchgoing couple in picturesque White Bear Lake, Minnesota, had adopted Dennis and five other foster children. VanderWyst, visiting him after the autopsy the night of Dennis death, told the family physician what Woodburn had found. they figured. We are sad to announce that on September 25, 2019, at the age of 92, Lois Jurgens (Petersburg, Illinois) passed away. It is one of a few crimes that FBI agent Kenneth Lanning argues can legitimately be described as "ritual abuse". I did my best..

 

Lois attended cosmetology school in Des Moines, Iowa. She had a story to tell. Rekdahl found him friendly and talkative--perhaps too much so, for he often strayed widely from the subject at hand. With the exception of the severe burns, his health remained quite good. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). cemeteries found in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens to show support. . 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. The body was severely undernourished, nearly emaciated. 0 cemeteries found in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota, USA. Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national headlines and was the top news story of the . 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. . PAUL When 3-year-old Dennis Craig Jurgens died on April 11, 1965, there were so many bruises on his body that the coroner said he stopped counting them. The autopsy report mentioned bruises head to toe.

 

Lois Jurgens reaction to Dennis during the visit was less than enthusiastic. In 1951, some 14 years before Dennis's death, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic entered this assessment in her file: "It is . 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. 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. This post is sponsored by Open Road Media. From the death certificate she had learned that the coroner never ruled whether the death was an accident, a homicide or the result of natural causes. Doug Thomson, who defended Jurgens, said his client did not get out early. I would also like to receive the Early Bird Books newsletter which features great deals on FREE and discounted ebooks. The threat of a criminal prosecution is way by the boards now. They would have to find out. He naps both in the forenoon and the afternoon. The word homicide remained unspoken. . None of this, however, was what had killed Dennis. Harold Jurgens died in 2000; at the time of his death, there was suspicion that Lois had poisoned him, but this was investigated and ruled out. This is a carousel with slides. He liked them. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. charles edward ed holland memorial park funeral homes and cemeteries. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013.

Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Lois also was not pleased to learn how active Dennis was. He could never forget how Lois Jurgens looked at those photos stoically, showing no emotion. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. so its not unusual.. Her secret was revealed after Sherwood began searching for the son she gave up for adoption and learned in 1983 that he had died of a bowel injury. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens was an American convicted murderer. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134346102/lois-germaine_josephine-jurgens. It was highly unlikely that a fall on a flat surface could have caused this. He pulled the file on the ancient case and began leafing through the yellowing pages. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

 

Top Rated Seller. From their patio, they could see huge bass jumping in the water. There was no community pressure back then. 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. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. Martin fritz obituary. DEATH OF SUPERMAN 30TH ANNIVERARY SPECIAL- 1:100 JURGENS & BREEDING FOIL VARIANT. [2] She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota . . Maybe we can get more evidence from there. Lois Jurgens, it turns out, was from the start a poor parental bet. 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. They saw the hearse sitting in the Jurgenses driveway, and a big blue convertible, and the police car parked awkwardly, askew, as if the officer had been in a hurry. 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. 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. He couldnt push Votel on this. Product details Publisher : Ballantine Books (November 28, 2000) Language : English Paperback : 560 pages ISBN-10 : 0345487176

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