I was young then, just out of college, the social worker said recently in an interview. This was a murder. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. [citation needed], Dennis Jurgens was born Dennis Craig Puckett in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Novel and Adaptations: Barry Siegel's true-crime novel A Death in White Bear Lake recounts the story via extensive research and oral history. . This sort of thing happened back then.. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. You do consider social attitudes. Active children that bruise easily . There were, to begin with, the same photos of Dennis battered body on the coroners table. 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. The next morning, six coroners jurors were asked to view the body of a dead boy, and to remember everything they saw. 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. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. There is no evidence we are dealing with any people here who have any demon-like motives. 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.
This case was a drop of water in the river.. Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, USA. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. .. Lois Jurgens was sentenced to 25 years in the Shakopee women's correctional facility for third-degree murder. How could a kid fall down the steps and die? The case drew widespread publicity and was the subject of a book and a made-for-television movie. They would not know for two weeks whether Dennis would need skin grafts, he had told Rekdahl. VanderWyst didnt push the matter. Robert would remain in county custody for the time being. Lois also was not pleased to learn how active Dennis was. Los Angeles, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; 1 arrested, San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Los Angeles is suddenly awash in waterfalls. A condition of neglect did exist. She knew that Lois came from a large, poor, Catholic family of 16 children, a family that at times survived on welfare. 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 talked with more than a dozen relatives and neighbors of the Jurgenses. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Prosecutors contended little Dennis died after numerous beatings and abuse, which including making the child eat food covered with horseradish and tying him spread-eagle in his crib.
Please enter your email and password to sign in. The investigation, trial, and But in 1962, before the developers and high-speed roads came, this was more truly a small town, inbred and insular, with a population just reaching 15,000. From a newspaper notice of his death she had learned that the boys body bore multiple injuries and bruises. It looked to her as if the roses were placed there to cover up the dark blue markings. Lois had talked to them all about her toilet training methods. When he wet his pants, she said, she put a clothespin on his penis. To the casual observer, the Jurgens' seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. Aided by the testimony of the Jurgens' other adopted son, Robert, Rekdahl did know that Lois had a history of psychiatric problems involving a nervous breakdown in the early 1950s. Last week, Judge David Marsden sentenced. This was the first child-abuse case he had handled. When the White Bear Lake police called her a year ago, she knew immediately whom they were talking about. so its not unusual.. I didnt look after that; I couldnt, she said. Those looking back now, those who unraveled the case, tend to shrug and shake their heads when Votels name comes up.
Aside from the incident when Dennis was hospitalized with burns on his genitals, there were many other incidents of abuse that fell under the category of sexual sadism. 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. "There are certainly problems," says Jurgens, one of the main architects of . She always proclaimed her innocence. The term is relative. 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. 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 the casual observer, the Jurgens seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. Instead the judge agonized, repeatedly expressing from the bench his sense of conflict and uncertainty. To him, that was close to frightening. Certain neighbors and family members knew there were problems with Lois' treatment of Dennis but did nothing to prevent it.
I just examined him to see that he was in fact dead. Its easy today to say, Why didnt they prosecute? but it was a different time, a different time. When Dennis cried, Lois would force his head under the cold water faucet at the kitchen sink. . What had happened--and how--and why? 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. 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. A Mrs. Hansen called to report a lost wallet, which resulted in an officers checking a phone booth at Fourth and Washington streets, next to the Avalon Jewelers. 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. I was willing to wait. Votel was still waiting about two years later, when he retired from office. During the early morning hours of April 11, 1965, Dennis Jurgens died at the hands of Lois Jurgens. There was a time when White Bear Lake was an exclusive watering hole for people from Chicago as well as the Twin Cities. I would also like to receive the Early Bird Books newsletter which features great deals on FREE and discounted ebooks. Resend Activation Email. The defense picked the doctor, and set parameters on what questions he could ask.
Lois E. Jurgens, 82, passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012 at Lakeland Health Care Center Elkhorn, WI. Villains also abound, but they remain less noticed. Try again later. He felt that Lois mental breakdown was not extremely serious and that she had completely recovered. roger w. tufte sr. was born on march 22, 1945 in lakota, nd the son of clarence and esther (johnson. They beat my baby to death, Sherwood told Buzz Harvey. 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.
Lois Jurgens served only eight years of her sentence, released early for good behavior, and lived a secluded life in Stillwater, Minnesota, until her death in 2013. Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965.
Nor had his arrival two hours before. No one proposed handing the investigation to some other body--to, say, the county sheriffs office. 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. 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. In the early 1980s, Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood, looked for Dennis, only to find out he had died in 1965. She had not noticed anything was wrong until sometime later, when Dennis began holding himself and saying, Owie! It was then she saw that his genitals were burned and called the doctor. In talking to the county attorney and the chief of police, we had gone as far as we could and we were told that was it, wed have to terminate the investigation.. Rekdahl found him friendly and talkative--perhaps too much so, for he often strayed widely from the subject at hand. 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. She did not want this to influence their decision, but in all truthfulness, that was the reality. Then there were the neighbors and relatives who had seen incidents and evidence of abuse. He had one great friend, his world's Lois, but she died and now he sees another version of her still alive and pregnant. Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. In the minute she was gone, she said, he turned on the hot water.
In 1992 A made-for-TV movie was made based on both Jerry's story It was not his job to do anything other than pronounce the boy dead. Several relatives now told the investigators they would not sign statements. Dennis was lying face up in his crib, his stiffened arms raised eight inches off the bed. View Obituary & Service Information Harold was infertile and the Jurgenses desperately wanted to adopt another child. The boy would be gasping and choking for breath until she would fear that he would drown. and this case Add to your scrapbook. April 11, 1965. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Lois Jurgens (134346102)? Donna Neely wondered, as she studied the Jurgenses now-silent house from her front window. VanderWyst and Korolchuk had brought in the file themselves and lobbied for prosecution.
Adopted just after his first birthday, Dennis suffered years of abuse at the hands of his adoptive mother, Lois Jurgens. During this period, Lois was once again placed in a psychiatric facility. In the 1960s, the term child abuse had not yet been coined[citation needed][2] and no one, not even medical professionals and teachers, was required to report suspicions. of Lois Jurgens are considered landmarks in the history of It just made me sick. A jury deliberated about five hours Friday before finding Lois Jurgens, 61, of Stillwater, Minn., guilty of third-degree murder, or an unintentional killing. That doctor (Peterson) also presented problems--he was a typical doctor, couldnt believe his patient was killed.. 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. They would have to find out. Sherwood also told D'Angelo that Dana Ivey's interpretation of Lois Jurgens is eerily accurate. He has had all his baby shots. . The adoption should be approved. With the advent of highways, White Bear Lake has become a suburb of St. Paul, about 12 miles to the south. Pitera would take photos later that day. she grew up and attended school in malvern, graduating in 1947. lois attended cosmetology school in des moines, iowa. He wanted others to go first. Youve got to worry about tomorrow. The boy was dead by the time the doctor arrived at 9:35. Notification of death or terminal illness, Office of Revisor of Statues . Lois Jurgens, know for her short, volatile temper, murdered him. The Jurgenses had wanted a younger child and Dennis was almost a year old. When Harold Jurgens called 10 days later to say they wanted to keep Dennis, the two agencies allowed that as well. 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. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. If hes notified there would be fifty people at her house, and she didnt want that many people around. He knew that parents otherwise free of major symptoms of psychotic illness could abuse children.
They had cited the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. That this was much more a question for doctors than for the police did not sway Votel. Though autopsy photos showed Dennis body was covered in bruises at the time of his death, the coroner never declared it an accidentor rather, what it really was: murder. .
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. The psychiatrist thought it fortunate that Lois Jurgens could not get pregnant because a child would only compound and complicate her emotional disturbances. called, 'A Child Lost Share this memorial using social media sites or email. He was born on September 29, 1941 in rural Adams, and was later baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church of rural Pickrell. The coroner noted in his report that Dennis had almost zero subcutaneous fat, at the level of a person who had died of starvation. During his short life, Dennis . Lois Jurgens at the time that she had custody of Dennis. Donna Marlene Norton, Lois sister, was there that day and saw the same thing. Father Bernard Riser of the St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church had known the Jurgenses for years and considered them to be among his parishs best families. ``She did a lot more than she should have.. Lois Jurgens, 93, of Arvada, Colorado, formerly of Malvern and Glenwood, Iowa, passed away June 13, 2022. Lois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. She talked about it all the time, in fact. 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. Lois and Harold Jurgens lived in a comfortable . You dont know what to think, Donna Marlene said. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Make sure that the file is a photo. Lois Jurgens (at left) appeared with her attorney Doug Thomson in Ramsey County Courthouse Monday May 4, 1987. 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. 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. There were at least a dozen bruises on the face alone, some large and others small. Officially forbidden to adopt children owing to Lois' history of mental illness, the couple managed to adopt a baby named Robert privately. . 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.The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Late in August, Lois had called Rekdahl to report the matter. She wanted assurances. Much of the testimony related to Dennis, not Robert. This drove Lois further into madness, as she felt she needed children to complete the "perfect picture" of her life. Peter Korolchuk yielded a good deal of information. On the night of his death, Lois was in an extremely bad mood due to flooding which was filling up the basement with water. He never wanted to say a bad word about anyone. Judge Gingold would not back down either. Lois' remedy for the toddler wetting his diaper too frequently was to place a spring-action clothespin upon the end of his penis. None.. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. The official cause of death was Peritonitis due to perforation of the small bowel. They owed $6,000 on the house and $930 on the truck. The defense attorney was still thinking about a criminal prosecution--even if no one else was. At 2 p.m. on that Palm Sunday, Dr. Robert Woodburn, the coroners chief pathologist, conducted the autopsy. They beat my baby to death.
. Try again later. Their investments and savings totaled $2,200. There was an error deleting this problem. 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. VanderWyst drove the mile to his house in silence, the young boy sitting beside him. 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. Those in the station familiar with the downtown strip joints in nearby St. Paul might have recognized Jerry Ann Sherwood from her earlier tenure at Alarys Club Bar.
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The process of adopting Dennis was completed. Then he began to look terrible--his face so old, like a little old man.
"There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved.". 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 two also teased what's in store for readers . Ivan and Gladys Demars, neighbors who had served as references when Dennis was adopted, over the fence had seen the boy with bruises, black eyes, split lips. Harold Jurgens, an electrical foreman, made $10,000 in 1962, and this placed his family a cut above many of their friends and neighbors. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. The hole had allowed a fifth of a quart of infectious, purulent fecal material to flow into the abdominal cavity. The prosecutor had a different attitude back then, Votel said recently. None of this, however, was what had killed Dennis. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Still, she had never forgotten the case. 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. The cause of death was peritonitis, but the autopsy photos showed him covered in bruises with an anguished expression on his face and the coroner had not determined a mode of death, accident, natural causes, or homicide. 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. In our family you dont dare say much..
Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens was an American convicted murderer. 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. Lois Jurgens had been sentenced to up to 25 years for the 1965 slaying of 3-year-old Dennis Jurgens. 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. The suspicious death of Dennis Jurgens wasnt properly investigated for 20 years. Top Rated Seller. Though the name of the adoptive family was not given, many suspected that the story was about Lois Jurgens. They were independent of each other. undefined Notes ^ http://www.angelizdsplace.com/ http://www.angelizdsplace.com/child43.htm. . To this end, she forced religious training on her young sons; reports had young Robert flawlessly reciting the Rosary at two. When they cleared land for his basement, theyd found old rolls of amusement park ticketsthree rides for a nickel. That isnt an issue at all. On Nov. 28, 1962, members of the Scott and Ramsey counties welfare departments, including Rekdahl, had a conference in the town of Shakopee. She was cleared of second-degree . Learn how and when to remove this template message, "ANGELIZD's Place - Child Abuse Pages - Dennis Craig Jurgens", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lois_Jurgens&oldid=1133446799, Articles lacking in-text citations from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 21:13.
Retrieved 12 February 2015. He was frequently starved, to rid him of "sloppy fat," as Lois called it (she also called him "Sloppy Fat" as a nickname). She was sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in prison and was paroled in 1995. 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.
Lois had grown up in an impoverished family of sixteen siblings and used her marriage to the middle-class Harold Jurgens as a means to improve her social standing. Lois Jurgens agreed, but seemed scared that she would not be offered another child. Votel went through living hell, one local judge said. 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. Year should not be greater than current year. 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. Lois' remedy for the toddler wetting his diaper too frequently was to place a spring-action clothespin upon the end of his penis. From the bench, he said he hoped that they could find something to explain the mistreatment of Dennis. Lois Jurgens released after serving eight years, The Winona Daily News, June, 7, 1995. 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. She thought Dennis too aggressive, his wild behavior quite unlike Roberts. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. 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. When Dennis messed his bed, she said, she forced the boy to eat his feces. Harold (Harry) Jurgens, 76 of Filley passed away at Gold Crest Retirement Center in Adams on January 7, 2018. Together they went into Dennis room to inspect the body. She grew up and attended school in Malvern, graduating in 1947. About 50 witnesses provided a mixed story. harold e bageant obituary visitation funeral information. Jurgens was one of 16 children. The just announced 80-page Death of Superman 30 th Anniversary Special will find Superman, his friends and his family revisiting his death, while dealing with a destructive new threat known as Doombreaker. No one here is being punitive, Gingold told the Jurgenses and their attorney from the bench. She thought they had a lovely home. She demanded to know the truth about her son's death. He attended Olney Rural Elementary School and graduated from Filley High School in 1959. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. There is a problem with your email/password. Petersburg, ILLois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. Harold's testimony in 1965 showed he was in Wisconsin from the evening of Friday, April 9, until 9 or 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 10.