lois jurgens' death

The victim You consider how well you can sell this to 12 people in the jury box. Though there was an investigation, society and law enforcement of the mid-1960s did not accept the concept that a child in a middle-class home could be the target of abuse. Failed to report flower. . Nbc Night at the Movies a Child Lost Forever - Variety

Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. Rekdahl decided to call on the Jurgenses. VanderWyst was not close social friends with the Jurgenses, but he knew them well enough to greet them on the street. The mother was an unmarried 17-year-old, Jerry Ann Puckett, an attractive blonde of Danish-German extraction. 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 thought Dennis too aggressive, his wild behavior quite unlike Roberts. White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Lois was mean to DennisCam Brass and Donna Neely and the othersCam Brass and Donna Neely and the others understood that much. That was all Gingold had to concern himself with. Petersons house sat precisely on the site of the old Wildwood Amusement Park. . They owed $6,000 on the house and $930 on the truck. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. 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. Jurgens and Weeks joined CBR to discuss launching Lois & Clark 2 and spoilers for its first installment. About: Lois Jurgens Lois Jurgens - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

When Dennis cried, Lois would force his head under the cold water faucet at the kitchen sink. Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens - Peterson Mortuary, Inc. 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. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Several relatives now told the investigators they would not sign statements. 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. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. I was willing to wait. Votel was still waiting about two years later, when he retired from office. 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. Homicide was not the issue at the hearing. They had a son--a 2-year-old named Robert, whom they had adopted at birth through private channels. Rekdahl suggested that if she had negative feelings, it would be best for them not to take the child. When he wouldnt have a bowel movement, she said, she pulled the feces from his rectum with her hands. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. As Peterson followed Wildwood Avenue west along the lakes shore toward Gardenette Park, hed rehearsed in his mind the resuscitation techniques he knew from the rescue squad. 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. On the stand, the Jurgenses had refused to answer questions about Dennis. Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks Break Down Young Jon Kent's Return in Lois Buy It Now. He wrote deferred in the box where he was to specify the manner of death, and put the certificate aside. 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. That this was much more a question for doctors than for the police did not sway Votel. The next morning, six coroners jurors were asked to view the body of a dead boy, and to remember everything they saw. She thought Dennis was sloppy fat. This particularly surprised Rekdahl. Top Rated Seller. Lois Jean Jurgens, the daughter of Lawrence A. and Marjorie V. (Johnson) Jones, was born on May 26, 1929 in Malvern, Iowa.

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. 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. Lois Jurgens Biography | HowOld.co There was also pressure from supervisors to place, especially because there were so few Catholic children. What was to be the core of the case against Lois Jurgens 22 years later essentially came out then, albeit in a less detailed, more muted fashion. Obituary. Thank you very much in advance. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. 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. There were, to begin with, the same photos of Dennis battered body on the coroners table. I would question him. Dan Jurgens on how The Death of Superman has "withstood that test of time" By Grant DeArmitt published 27 July 2022 The creator best known for The Death of Superman explains its impact 30. Donna Mae, about 5 feet away, watched in horror as Lois force-fed that vomit to him, made him eat it. She was cleared of second-degree . In 1965, it was a private general practitioner, Dr. Thomas Votel, who handled the coroners duties on a part-time basis for $6,300 a year. . 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. Lois Jurgens (born 1925) is an American convicted murderer. ``She did a lot more than she should have.. in the third degree and sent to prison. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. 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. He knew that parents otherwise free of major symptoms of psychotic illness could abuse children. Though the name of the adoptive family was not given, many suspected that the story was about Lois Jurgens. Years later, the attorney representing Roberts interests at the 1965 custody hearing would still remember those photos. 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. We would like to have done something, but it was none of our business. If Votel had called it a homicide, at least that prospect would have been removed. Murder of Dennis Jurgens | Detailed Pedia Lois Jurgens was convicted in May 1987 of murder (by abuse) in the death 22 years earlier of her adopted son, Dennis. Harold (Harry) Jurgens, 76 of Filley passed away at Gold Crest Retirement Center in Adams on January 7, 2018. She also describes him as a clown, always laughing at himself or other people when they are around. Brand New. He was an outgoing child, as happy and adjusted as could be expected under the circumstances. There was also the matter of community attitudes. 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. Superman Writer Confirms Which Villains Almost Killed the - ScreenRant 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. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. 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 died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. She had a story to tell. It was harder to believe that Dennis had been awake and talking normally an hour and a half before he died. A system error has occurred. Rekdahl by now had quite a dim outlook on this placement. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. How could a kid fall down the steps and die? Walter Moore, a co-worker of Harold Jurgens, also came to the funeral. Meanwhile, Dennis was getting whirlpool baths every day. There was no community pressure back then. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Oops, something didn't work. How could a little boy not scream out in pain as soon as he was burned? .

D'Angelo Puts Her Heart Into Nbc'S 'A Child Lost Forever' 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. 'Convergence' makes Superman a super-dad - USA TODAY Eventually Lois Jurgens was arraigned, and her identity released by the media. It was as if the authorities had found a way to try Lois Jurgens for Dennis death without calling it a murder. The investigation, trial, and conviction are considered landmarks in the history of child abuse law. The psychiatrist also observed that Lois had an obsession about order and cleanliness. Lois Jurgens, 62, of Stillwater, chewed gum impassively as the jury announced its verdict, finding her guilty of third-degree murder in the 1965 death of her adopted son, Dennis. One day, Zerwas walked into the squad room and found the two officers investigating Dennis death. Lois E. Jurgens, 82, passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012 at Lakeland Health Care Center Elkhorn, WI. This account has been disabled. To the casual observer, the Jurgens seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. 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. Sherwood eventually located Dennis's death certificate; because the death was categorized as "deferred", the case was still technically open. On the other hand, she realized the improbability of being offered another Catholic baby in the near future. Paul Lindholm, the assistant county attorney, considered it. It is essentially unconceivable to me, without a protruding object above the floor, that he could have been injured in this way, Woodburn said. 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). The welfare department case work was very limited. 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. Lois' remedy for the toddler wetting his diaper too frequently was to place a spring-action clothespin upon the end of his penis. Clothing retains the heat. Notification of death or terminal illness, Office of Revisor of Statues . It was hard to believe that the Jurgenses had noticed nothing. Lois is survived by her. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where she lived at the time. There was enough evidence to sustain child abuse and neglect charges. Dennis & Robert
The next day, Rekdahl phoned the Jurgenses family physician, Dr. Roy Peterson, who was treating Dennis. She was born February 25, 1927 to Leslie and Margaret Stowell in Cass County IL. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where she lived at the time. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Is it quite customary to see a little boy with so many bruises, he was asked. During this period, Lois was once again placed in a psychiatric facility. the Murderpedia project stay alive. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Donna Mae Zerwas, Lois sister-in-law, had seen all that and more. Donohue, their attorney, had allowed Lois before the hearing to be examined by a psychiatrist only under the strictest conditions. Toddler murdered by abusive adoptive mother - Horror History .net
The victim
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. I have never seen anything like that done.. 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. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter and get terrifying tales delivered straight to your inbox. 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. 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. Harvey had been a rookie cop here in 1965, but Sherwoods story triggered no memories. There is some suspicion that Lois Jurgens herself set the fire, given that it occurred while Robert was hospitalized, and that Lois had been known to threaten burning down the homes of several neighbors and family members who had spoken to authorities.

. Tragically, just a few years after the adoption, Dennis died from peritonitis. 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. He was born on September 29, 1941 in rural Adams, and was later baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church of rural Pickrell. It just made me sick. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Dennis had thrown up then. By this point, Lois' rage and mania had gone beyond her ability to maintain an appearance of normalcy, and she and Harold had relocated to rural Stillwater, Minnesota, possibly to escape the gossip of their former neighborhood where Dennis was killed. Dennis had died of peritonitis. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help She remembered the names, the faces--she particularly remembered Dennis. She did not want this to influence their decision, but in all truthfulness, that was the reality. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national headlines and was the top news story of the . My Mother Almost Killed Me. No one cared or stopped her. | by Karen The official cause of death was peritonitis due to perforation of the small bowel. You do consider social attitudes. need your help for this. They felt sad, and also naggingly disturbed. 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. Jurgens was one of 16 children. Do you have a camera in the car, he asked VanderWyst. Dennis struggled with such training and was forced to pray and recite his Rosary kneeling on a broomstick for extended periods, until he did it correctly. He very strongly favored the Jurgenses getting another child. He was frequently starved, to rid him of "sloppy fat," as Lois called it (she also called him "Sloppy Fat" as a nickname). +C $33.27 shipping estimate. He couldnt push Votel on this. she grew up and attended school in malvern, graduating in 1947. lois attended cosmetology school in des moines, iowa. 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. Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash. Lois and Harold Jurgens lived in a comfortable . 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. Rekdahl did not know that a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic had diagnosed Lois Jurgens as having a longstanding psychoneurosis dating to her childhood--a childhood spent in a tension-filled home with an alcoholic, abusive father. 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 would not know for two weeks whether Dennis would need skin grafts, he had told Rekdahl. 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. My God, he thought, looking at the body.

Lois Jurgens - Wikipedia 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. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. Child Murder : The Town Confronts Its Past - Los Angeles Times Other than that, nothing remarkable.. There was a time when White Bear Lake was an exclusive watering hole for people from Chicago as well as the Twin Cities. they figured. She thought the postplacement period had been quite successful. In a town like White Bear Lake, apparently no one thought it problematic that the assistant police chief, Lt. Jerome Zerwas, was Lois Jurgens brother. 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. 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. Lois Jurgens | Detailed Pedia When you judge a case, you dont do so in a vacuum, Lindholm would explain years later in an interview. Harold Jurgens, an electrical foreman, made $10,000 in 1962, and this placed his family a cut above many of their friends and neighbors. Drag images here or select from your computer for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens memorial. Donna Marlene Norton, Lois sister, was there that day and saw the same thing. Rekdahl found him friendly and talkative--perhaps too much so, for he often strayed widely from the subject at hand. Lois Jurgens, 61, was convicted of third-degree murder of her adopted son Dennis in the first phase of her trial a week ago and the jury, after deliberating five hours, rejected her insanity. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens I found on Findagrave.com. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota . Its easy today to say, Why didnt they prosecute? but it was a different time, a different time. Rekdahl was developing real doubts about this placement, but the Jurgenses decided to go see Dennis that afternoon. Her attorney Doug Thomson (left) follows, and Harold Jurgens is behind him. 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. Deferred, Votel had written. No prosecution was taken at that time. Lois Jurgens Obituary (1927 - 2019) | Petersburg, Illinois I did my best.. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. After Dennis' death, an older adopted son, Robert, was removed from the Jurgens home. The doctor did not want to be there. He couldnt comprehend anyone torturing a kid, Peterson would explain many years later. He wanted others to go first. 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. 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. Fittingly for a major anniversary like . At first, that seemed to be the conclusion that the official inquiry would also reach. charles edward ed holland memorial park funeral homes and cemeteries. Arnold L Jurgens Obituary Visitation Funeral Information She believed that Lois had opened up a great deal and tried to be as truthful as possible. Lois also was not pleased to learn how active Dennis was. Ive been doing this job too long. Death 7 May 2013 (aged 87) . Harold (Harry) Jurgens Obituary - Tribute Archive As it happened, Peterson at the time was deputy coroner in Ramsey County. 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. Make sure that the file is a photo. A jury deliberated about five hours Friday before finding Lois Jurgens, 61, of Stillwater, Minn., guilty of third-degree murder, or an unintentional killing. ?Tadeusz: I never remember pretty women. She thought they had a lovely home. During the internal autopsy, Woodburn found a quarter-inch hole in the boys small bowel. He was shaken. Lois and Harold Jurgens lived in a comfortable, meticulously maintained three-bedroom house with a big, fenced backyard on a large corner lot on Gardenette Drive. To use this feature, use a newer browser. They just werent going to get any damaging information from him. Yes! She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Late in August, Lois had called Rekdahl to report the matter. Did the doctor remember his thoughts on why this child died, his inner feelings that day? In the early 1980s, Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood, looked for Dennis, only to find out he had died in 1965. . Lois Jurgens Obituary Visitation Funeral Information . Try again later. The Jurgenses returned to their house on Gardenette Drive, childless but free of any charge. Basically, she thought that Lois was content and happy, especially with Robert. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. Her mother having long ago disappeared, Jerry Puckett had bounced among assorted relatives and county homes for girls. roger w. tufte sr, 76, resident of lakota, nd died saturday, february 26, 2022 at the lakota good samaritan center. 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. He could be a battered child, Votel said he reasoned, and still his death could have been caused by a fall, an accident. Robert would remain in county custody for the time being. Now the town is most frequently described as middle class. 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.