It just made me sick. In early December, 1963, Rekdahl paid her last postplacement visit to the Jurgenses. The volume of business coming down the pipeline doesnt allow for regrets. He feared finding himself alone. My biggest feeling was that it was a sad situation and I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. Do you have a camera in the car, he asked VanderWyst. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. 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. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Problems arose within the police department as well. He returned to the Jurgens home in time to meet the coroners investigator, Saveiro Pitera. He is extremely alert. 
That will require a juvenile hearing on neglect. 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. She thought they had a lovely home. They were of varying colors--black and blue, yellowish green, reddish--which meant that some were fresh, some old. And her release from the states prison for women in Shakopee only angered the biological mother whose search for her child led to the discovery of the crime. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Did the doctor remember his thoughts on why this child died, his inner feelings that day? No prosecution was taken at that time. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Two or three couples signed written statements. Many years later, he explained why: I was quite certain it was a homicide, quite certain, Gingold said recently in an interview. As it happened, Peterson at the time was deputy coroner in Ramsey County. 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. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White . Lois was mean to DennisCam Brass and Donna Neely and the othersCam Brass and Donna Neely and the others understood that much. On January 13, 2000, she was initially suspected of poisoning her husband, Harold. If you throw up, you are going to eat it. Many years later, asked in court how this placement was approved, Rekdahl--by then a psychotherapist and psychiatric social worker in Napa, Calif., remarried and using the name Gerane Wharton-Park--said: We finally had really no exacting reasons why we could turn this family down. The official cause of death was Peritonitis due to perforation of the small bowel. The afflicted look and act very sick for a matter of hours, sometimes days. A few wondered how the Jurgenses had ever been allowed to adopt children. It did not occur to him to question Robert. Sherwood became suspicious and persuaded authorities to investigate. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Donohue, their attorney, had allowed Lois before the hearing to be examined by a psychiatrist only under the strictest conditions. 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 She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. The hole had allowed a fifth of a quart of infectious, purulent fecal material to flow into the abdominal cavity. This was the first child-abuse case he had handled. There was enough evidence to sustain child abuse and neglect charges. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. The rows of neatly kept houses, the modern police station and the shopping strips all reflect a level of modest comfort rather than affluence. The case is described in detail in Barry Siegel's true-crime novel, A Death in White Bear Lake. There was also pressure from supervisors to place, especially because there were so few Catholic children. . The case drew widespread publicity and was the subject of a book and a made-for-television movie. Drag images here or select from your computer for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens memorial. 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 walks past the TV cameras on her way to the courtroom on January 30, 1987, to plead not guilty to three counts of murder. She was 61 when she went to prison and served eight years before being paroled.. 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. 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. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. Thirty years after the original Death of Superman storyline, the iconic tale's writer Dan Jurgens has confirmed which alternate Superman villains almost killed the hero. Such stories are not rare. She was the adoptive mother of six children in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutally abused them all, killing one of them, three-year-old Dennis Jurgens, in 1965. Lois Jurgens (born 1925) is an American convicted murderer. 
They would have to find out. Still, she had never forgotten the case. Korolchuk would never get the chance to answer such questions. It would have been difficult at the time to prove that Lois Jurgens had committed murder. I would also like to receive the Early Bird Books newsletter which features great deals on FREE and discounted ebooks. He liked them. plans and enthusiasm This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. DENNIS JURGENS WAS ONLY 3-YEARS-0LD WHEN HIS LIFE ENDED AT THE CRUEL HANDS OF HIS MOTHER LOIS JURGENS AND SHE WOULD HAVE GOT AWAY WITH IT, BUT HIS BIOLOGICAL MOTHER JERRY SHERWOOD STARTED. . 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 night Dennis died, Robert was riding his trike in the basement, and all the sudden he heard Dennis screaming. . When they cleared land for his basement, theyd found old rolls of amusement park ticketsthree rides for a nickel. There are a lot of dead babies in the ground who were killed.. Homicide was not the issue at the hearing. How could the hot water splashing down on the baby have burned only his penis and scrotum? Maybe we can get more evidence from there. 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. To keep creating 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). Villains also abound, but they remain less noticed. Still it is fair to say that the story Lois Jurgens told required a considerable imagination to embrace. We did not have enough evidence of any kind to deny them. 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. They had a son--a 2-year-old named Robert, whom they had adopted at birth through private channels. VanderWyst, visiting him after the autopsy the night of Dennis death, told the family physician what Woodburn had found. No, Lois said, sounding definite. Nine months earlier, on Dec. 6, 1961, Dennis Craig Puckett, 8 1/2 pounds, had been born at St. Michaels Hospital in Sauk Centre, in nearby Scott County. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . Martin fritz obituary. Last week, Judge David Marsden sentenced. A system error has occurred. Because they were Catholic and there were very few Catholic babies on the register, it was likely that they would have to wait quite a long time, she explained. There were many fateful moments in Dennis brief life, moments in which his destiny could have been changed. The specter of homicide hovered, but would not land in this hearing room in 1965. "There are certainly problems," says Jurgens, one of the main architects of . Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood. In the early 1980s, Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood, looked for Dennis, only to find out he had died in 1965. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, 12 reasons why Sycamore Avenue is L.A.s coolest new hangout, Best coffee city in the world? Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. . There was no possibility that Dennis had died from a blow to the head. Lois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. During the early morning hours of April 11, 1965, Dennis Jurgens died at the hands of Lois Jurgens. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. 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. Why werent his hands burned--wouldnt he have instinctively reached down to protect himself? The adoption should be approved. Beatings and displays of Lois' explosive temper were daily events; especially bad days could include her slamming a child's forehead into a nail protruding from a wall, forcing a child to stand barefoot in snow, and shoving a used sanitary napkin in a child's face. Lois Jurgens had not one good thing to say about Dennis. They talked with more than a dozen relatives and neighbors of the Jurgenses. . Harold told relatives he was going to be out of town the weekend of April 10 and 11, 1965. and this case
She wanted assurances. He wanted others to go first. Robert lived with other relatives, ultimately settling for two years with a distant cousin before he returned home. Jurgens who says he still has the yellow legal pad on which he did his quick sketch was the victor. He never wanted to say a bad word about anyone. 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. ). Include gps location with grave photos where possible. But neither the judge nor anyone else was willing to face the implications of such findings. With Lois's mental health deteriorating, a hearing explores the question, should Lois and Harold Jurgens keep custody of their 5 year old adopted son, Robert after the death of this brother, Dennis. Most simply remain hidden. They were informed they would not be allowed to foster or adopt any additional children. 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. Then he began to look terrible--his face so old, like a little old man. Three-year-old Dennis Jurgens is murdered by his adoptive mother. Almost immediately, Lois felt a severe, obsessive dislike of the child, who was a normal, rambunctious, and spirited toddlerunlike Robert, who in Lois' eyes, was the "good son." In her effort to make Dennis "right" in her eyes, Lois embarked on a series of sadistic and corporal punishments: Angered at Dennis for rejecting certain foods, she responded by placing horseradish on the food and then force-fed it to him. Robert fit in well at the Jurgens household, as he learned from a young age not to get in his mother's way or cause an undue mess that would likely send Lois Jurgens into a rage. If I had it to do over again--well, in 1987 I wouldnt approve, but if it were 1965, I dont know what I would do. Lois had a question: Would Father Riser write a letter in support of their present effort to adopt another child, a third child? Rekdahl expressed some concern. Dennis & Robert Lois Jurgens (at left) appeared with her attorney Doug Thomson in Ramsey County Courthouse Monday May 4, 1987. . This was a murder. They had checked on him throughout the night. Published Jan 18, 2023. 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. . The psychiatrist also observed that Lois had an obsession about order and cleanliness. There was testimony from other officers that he impeded the investigation into the child's death. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Retrieved 12 February 2015. When patrolman Robert VanderWyst arrived at the Jurgens home soon after, he found the doctor, the Jurgenses and 5-year-old Robert in the living room. The only part of him that I saw was his chest and his face. Gladys and Dorothy talked frequently to each other about what they had seen, not unaware that theyd recommended the Jurgenses to the welfare department caseworker. The next morning, six coroners jurors were asked to view the body of a dead boy, and to remember everything they saw. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Harold Jurgens, an electrical foreman, made $10,000 in 1962, and this placed his family a cut above many of their friends and neighbors. 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 thought it would be no use..
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. Published by Bantam Books, 1990. To him, that was close to frightening. Donna Marlene Norton, Lois sister, was there that day and saw the same thing. Donna Mae, about 5 feet away, watched in horror as Lois force-fed that vomit to him, made him eat it.
They would have to find out. Still, she had never forgotten the case. Korolchuk would never get the chance to answer such questions. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. He is able to turn himself over and is extremely strong, almost ready to stand by himself. [citation needed], Dennis Jurgens was born Dennis Craig Puckett in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Whod listen? Lois Jurgens was at home alone with the children much of the weekend of Dennis' death. When he arrived at the Jurgens home, though, hed realized all that was pointless. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Notes References A Death in White Bear Lakeby Barry Siegel. Lois is survived by her. Due to this frequent starvation, Dennis gained only three pounds in a two and a half-year period as he aged from one year old to three and a half years old. He had read the early articles that by then had been published. Over the course of several visits to the Jurgens home, Rekdahl saw the matter differently. There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. He has no teeth yet, but they are coming. He was frequently starved, to rid him of "sloppy fat," as Lois called it (she also called him "Sloppy Fat" as a nickname). Try again later. The prosecutor had a different attitude back then, Votel said recently. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Jurgens, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. They had seen Lois pull Dennis ears so hard that blood flowed. Make sure that the file is a photo. If Votel had called it a homicide, at least that prospect would have been removed.
``May God strike her dead, thats what I have to say to Lois Jurgens, Jerry Sherwood said. There was a large, swollen scrape on the forehead. in the third degree and sent to prison. It is essentially unconceivable to me, without a protruding object above the floor, that he could have been injured in this way, Woodburn said. He was shaken. Try again. 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. It was highly unlikely that a fall on a flat surface could have caused this. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where she lived at the time. This browser does not support getting your location. the Murderpedia project stay alive. 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. The policeman did not, so they carried the body to the coroners van. A jury deliberated about five hours Friday before finding Lois Jurgens, 61, of Stillwater, Minn., guilty of third-degree murder, or an unintentional killing.
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.