lois jurgens' death

Lois thought that would be a good idea. 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. 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. 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. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. 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. Woman Tortures Adoptive Son To Death Lois Jurgens (40) was variously described as both short-tempered and vindictive by her neighbours and others who encountered her in the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and it was well known that she experienced bouts of severe depression and psychosis. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. . . Peterson, a slender 6-footer, was a respected local doctor, a University of Minnesota medical graduate who had served in the Marines before opening a private practice in White Bear Lake in 1951. [2] She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota . The testimony from Dr. Woodburn, the pathologist who did the autopsy on Dennis, was unequivocal. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. When Dennis cried, Lois would force his head under the cold water faucet at the kitchen sink. He has no teeth yet, but they are coming. During this period, Lois was once again placed in a psychiatric facility. Judge Archie Gingold, in his findings at the close of the hearing, ruled that Dennis had been subjected to many incidences of cruel and severe abuse. Dennis nose was blood-red--VanderWyst thought it looked as if you just wiped it once more youd probably take the rest of the skin away. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Petersburg, ILLois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. I didnt look after that; I couldnt, she said. The coroner noted in his report that Dennis had almost zero subcutaneous fat, at the level of a person who had died of starvation. Aided by the testimony of the Jurgens' other adopted son, Robert, Mrs. The doctor did not want to be there. Maybe we can get more evidence from there. I dont know how to describe it, she said. 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 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. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help 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. In early December, 1963, Rekdahl paid her last postplacement visit to the Jurgenses. VanderWyst was not close social friends with the Jurgenses, but he knew them well enough to greet them on the street. 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 A Death in White Bear Lake er en sann krimbok av journalisten Barry Siegel, utgitt i 1990, som forteller om drapet p Dennis Jurgens. Rekdahl, who graduated from St. Pauls Hamline University in 1957 with a bachelors degree in social work, had been in adoption services for less than one year. Her features were still attractive, although the years had added a certain hardness and fleshiness. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter and get terrifying tales delivered straight to your inbox. In 1987, Jurgens was convicted of third-degree murder of Dennis. Robert lived with other relatives, ultimately settling for two years with a distant cousin before he returned home. The specter of homicide hovered, but would not land in this hearing room in 1965. Top Rated Seller. And it was not my position to do anything other than to pronounce him dead.. That was not binding on the prosecutor, but the defense attorney would zero in on this. They attempted to mind their own business and feared retribution from Lois, who was not above threatening the lives of her family members. Retrieved 12 February 2015. . https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134346102/lois-germaine_josephine-jurgens. Officially forbidden to adopt children owing to Lois' history of mental illness, the couple managed to adopt a baby named Robert privately. . The White Bear Lake police log for the morning of April 11, 1965--Palm Sunday--included the sort of events to be expected in such a town. She talked about it all the time, in fact. Search above to list available cemeteries. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Lois was mean to DennisCam Brass and Donna Neely and the othersCam Brass and Donna Neely and the others understood that much. 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. It is one of a few crimes that FBI agent Kenneth Lanning argues can legitimately be described as "ritual abuse". 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. Some had seen or heard Dennis being beaten. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. He was frequently starved, to rid him of "sloppy fat," as Lois called it (she also called him "Sloppy Fat" as a nickname). From their patio, they could see huge bass jumping in the water. He would testify that he had talked to some lady down there. During the early morning hours of April 11, 1965, Dennis Jurgens died at the hands of Lois Jurgens.

Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965.

That doctor (Peterson) also presented problems--he was a typical doctor, couldnt believe his patient was killed..

 

She was diagnosed as having mixed psychoneurosis and also unable to conceive a child with Harold. Rekdahl did know that Lois had a history of psychiatric problems involving a nervous breakdown in the early 1950s. Initial placement was with a licensed, unrelated foster family, but Robert was then moved to his paternal grandparents at his parents' request. Certain neighbors and family members knew there were problems with Lois' treatment of Dennis but did nothing to prevent it. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo?
In winter, they got the north wind, so the lake froze too rough for ice skating. No, nothing struck me, the doctor replied, except for these bruises. Drag images here or select from your computer for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens memorial. The psychiatrist thought it fortunate that Lois Jurgens could not get pregnant because a child would only compound and complicate her emotional disturbances. Votel went through living hell, one local judge said. 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. There was a bluish mark on the right side of the head that started at the temple and extended to behind the right ear. It looked to her as if the roses were placed there to cover up the dark blue markings. 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. The way Lindholm figured it, instead of prosecuting Lois Jurgens for murder, lets move to take Robert away. need your help for this. We are sad to announce that on September 25, 2019, at the age of 92, Lois Jurgens (Petersburg, Illinois) passed away. Its easy today to say, Why didnt they prosecute? but it was a different time, a different time. J. was a little nervous today and I felt was probably upset for fear of what we would think of such a thing happening to Dennis, she wrote in her log. A parade of neighbors and relatives called to the stand by the Jurgenses attorney, Edward Donohue, all denied seeing any evidence of abuse. As the laws were then interpreted, he believed that he would have to link a specific action taken by Lois Jurgens to the precise cause of death. Published by Bantam Books, 1990. It was not his job to do anything other than pronounce the boy dead. In 1987, Jurgens was convicted of third-degree murder of Dennis. Homicide was not the issue at the hearing. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. From a newspaper notice of his death she had learned that the boys body bore multiple injuries and bruises. In the early 1980s, Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood, looked for Dennis, only to find out he had died in 1965. ``If she had been convicted of this in 1965 she probably would have done about three years, Thomson said. Two or three couples signed written statements. Obituary. Oops, we were unable to send the email.
After The Murder.

. How in the heck could that happen? Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. Soon after, Jerry Puckett dropped her plan to convert--but by then Dennis was already registered as Catholic on the adoption rolls. There were many fateful moments in Dennis brief life, moments in which his destiny could have been changed. Notification of death or terminal illness, Office of Revisor of Statues . To the casual observer, the Jurgens' seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. Please enter your email and password to sign in. The foster mother thinks him a little wild one, but she means this appreciatively and derives pleasure from his antics. At first, that seemed to be the conclusion that the official inquiry would also reach. The investigation, trial, and conviction are considered landmarks in the history of child abuse law.

the Murderpedia project stay alive. 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. We did not have enough evidence of any kind to deny them. The situation had made him uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that he hadnt pulled down the blankets or examined the body further.

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