Belle Gunness was one of the most successful murderers in Illinois. She murdered over forty
people including two of her husbands and about four of her children between 1884 and 1908 (Belle
Gunness Biography). At the age of 22, she immigrated to Chicago, Illinois in 1881. She got away
without a trace and it’s still a mystery as to where she went today.
Belle Gunness was born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Storseth on November 22, 1859 (Belle
Gunness Murderpedia). As a child, she lived in Selbu, Norway (Belle Gunness Biography). Around the
age of twenty-one she left Norway and immigrated to America in 1881 (Belle Gunness Biography). At
the age of twenty-two, she moved in with her sister in Chicago where she changed her name to Belle
(Cellania).
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The men came to her farm, wanting to help her out and pay for her mortgage
(Belle Gunness). Each man brought cash to her farm and never returned (Belle Gunness Biography).
Some of these men were John Moo, Henry Gurholdt, Olaf Svenherud, Ole B. Budsburg, and Andrew
Hegelein (Belle Gunness Biography). One of the first men to respond to the ad, John Moo, died a week
after his arrival(Belle Gunness). Ole B. Budsberg, an older widower who responded to the ad, was last
seen in La Porte Savings Banks on April 6, 1907. He signed several thousand to Belle Gunness.
Asle Hegelian, the brother of one of the suitors that responded to the ad, Andrew Hegelian,
began looking for her lost brother. Andrew answered Gunness’s ad. She offered him true love and a life
of happiness. She mentioned in a letter to him that she needed $1,000 to pay off her mortgage. He
withdrew his entire life savings from the bank and was never heard from again (Troy). Alse Hegelian got
in contact with Belle Gunness. She was desperate to find her brother. Asle Hegelian contacted the
police and told them that he wanted to search her farm himself. People were becoming more suspicious,
and later, the farm was searched because of Asle Hegelian (Belle’s Story: The Short Version).One