. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. So Robert, on a temporary but semiannually renewed basis, remained in county custody, living in foster homes. White Bear Lake, a picturesque American town where kids freely ride bikes, play two-square and parents throw neighborhood BBQsand where 3 year old Dennis Jurgens died on Palm Sunday 1965. Notification of death or terminal illness, Office of Revisor of Statues . Rekdahl found her judgment confirmed by the Jurgenses priest. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. Pitera stared at the body. She did not want this to influence their decision, but in all truthfulness, that was the reality. She was predeceased by : her parents, Leslie Stowell and Margaret Stowell. 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. Eventually Lois Jurgens was arraigned, and her identity released by the media. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens (August 12, 1925 May 7, 2013) was an American convicted murderer responsible for one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. .
| One might get a first impression that Lois was cold and indifferent, but to Rekdahl, this seemed a defense for insecurities. There was also pressure from supervisors to place, especially because there were so few Catholic children. This is a carousel with slides. They carried assorted life insurance polices worth $10,000. Strange, he thought, that she hadnt called her brother, the police lieutenant. So began a painstaking inquiry into the past--an inquiry that in recent months has pulled back the curtains on a decidedly uncomfortable vision. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Pitera would take photos later that day. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. | There are a lot of dead babies in the ground who were killed.. She grew up and attended school in Malvern, graduating in 1947. There were, to begin with, the same photos of Dennis battered body on the coroners table. Adopted just after his first birthday, Dennis suffered years of abuse at the hands of his adoptive mother, Lois Jurgens. People were not then inclined to believe that middle-class families in suburban homes killed their children. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Over the course of several visits to the Jurgens home, Rekdahl saw the matter differently.  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. 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. Brand New. When the White Bear Lake police called her a year ago, she knew immediately whom they were talking about. 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. Sherwood eventually located Dennis's death certificate; because the death was categorized as "deferred", the case was still technically open. After The Murder. They also caught crappies and smallmouth bass and northern pike, but the sunfish were the best. Placement with the paternal grandparents ended due to a house fire that occurred at a time when Robert was hospitalized with pneumonia, and his grandmother burned to death. Top Rated Seller. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. At the urging of authorities, Jerry placed Dennis for adoption after being told that he would receive good care.[1]. Sherwood's tenacity, along with the tragedy of her personal loss, kept the story in the public eye. Lt. Clarence (Buzz) Harvey at first did not know what to make of the blonde 42-year-old woman who appeared at the front desk of this towns solitary police station on the morning of Sept. 18, 1986. Harold Jurgens had converted a breezeway off the kitchen into a large, open family, dining and cooking area. I looked down. 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. We wanted to tell someone, she said. Free shipping for many products! It would have been difficult at the time to prove that Lois Jurgens had committed murder. . In the minute she was gone, she said, he turned on the hot water. There were at least a dozen bruises on the face alone, some large and others small. The official cause of death was peritonitis due to perforation of the small bowel. In the early 1980s, Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood, looked for Dennis, only to find out he had died in 1965. 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. Two or three couples signed written statements. Dr. The psychiatrist thought it fortunate that Lois Jurgens could not get pregnant because a child would only compound and complicate her emotional disturbances. A parade of neighbors and relatives called to the stand by the Jurgenses attorney, Edward Donohue, all denied seeing any evidence of abuse. He would testify that he had talked to some lady down there. They are good people. Their investments and savings totaled $2,200.
|
