lois jurgens' death

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.

The Jurgenses are not being attacked anywhere along the line. Is it quite customary to see a little boy with so many bruises, he was asked. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Some had seen or heard Dennis being beaten. There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved. Korolchuk wondered: Why wasnt a doctor called to the home in the day before Dennis died, when he must have been extremely and obviously ill? They beat my baby to death, Sherwood told Buzz Harvey. They would not know for two weeks whether Dennis would need skin grafts, he had told Rekdahl. Certain neighbors and family members knew there were problems with Lois' treatment of Dennis but did nothing to prevent it. Notification of death or terminal illness, Office of Revisor of Statues . 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. I was young then, just out of college, the social worker said recently in an interview. child abuse law.

Meanwhile, Dennis was getting whirlpool baths every day. But how did such an infection occur in the first place? updates Jurgens and Weeks joined CBR to discuss launching Lois & Clark 2 and spoilers for its first installment. The Jurgenses had wanted a younger child and Dennis was almost a year old. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Jurgens, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. Dennis was now fully accepted and loved in the family, she decided. A condition of neglect did exist. Initial placement was with a licensed, unrelated foster family, but Robert was then moved to his paternal grandparents at his parents' request. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Due to this frequent starvation, Dennis gained only three pounds in a 2+12-year period as he aged from one year old to 3+12 years old.

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. Product details Publisher : Ballantine Books (November 28, 2000) Language : English Paperback : 560 pages ISBN-10 : 0345487176 He had served as a reference when they adopted Robert. . They also caught crappies and smallmouth bass and northern pike, but the sunfish were the best. Rekdahl did know that Lois had a history of psychiatric problems involving a nervous breakdown in the early 1950s. Try again later. Lois Jurgens released after serving eight years, The Winona Daily News, June, 7, 1995. The case is described in detail in Barry Siegel's true-crime novel, A Death in White Bear Lake.

Now VanderWyst was looking at him, asking a question: What was the cause of death?. The victim . He had read the early articles that by then had been published. However, he was in failing health and his autopsy results did not indicate poisoning. This was the first child-abuse case he had handled. 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. Published by Bantam Books, 1990. In 1987, testifying 22 years later, Peterson was questioned again about the bruises. Rekdahl found her judgment confirmed by the Jurgenses priest. . Lois Jurgens had been sentenced to up to 25 years for the 1965 slaying of 3-year-old Dennis Jurgens. ``You have to understand this child is only 3 1/2 years old and virtually every day Lois Jurgens had him he was a victim of some kind of physical or mental abuse, and I dont think eight years was quite enough to compensate society for the act she committed, Robinson said. Rekdahl decided to call on the Jurgenses. conviction
Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. 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. Of course, there was that one bad accident involving third-degree burns to Dennis penis and scrotum. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments.

Then he began to look terrible--his face so old, like a little old man. She believed that Lois had opened up a great deal and tried to be as truthful as possible. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Sherwood also told D'Angelo that Dana Ivey's interpretation of Lois Jurgens is eerily accurate. There was a large, swollen scrape on the forehead. harold e bageant obituary visitation funeral information. Learn more about managing a memorial . He has no teeth yet, but they are coming. With the advent of highways, White Bear Lake has become a suburb of St. Paul, about 12 miles to the south. No one proposed handing the investigation to some other body--to, say, the county sheriffs office. At that time, the battered-child syndrome was just beginning to be recognized. Eventually Lois Jurgens was arraigned, and her identity released by the media. 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. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. The adoption should be approved. Basically, she thought that Lois was content and happy, especially with Robert. Family members immediately begin whispering "she killed him" , referring to his adoptive moth The specter of homicide hovered, but would not land in this hearing room in 1965. You couldnt get action from the prosecutor and police. There he had been loved and well cared for by an experienced foster mother. He is able to turn himself over and is extremely strong, almost ready to stand by himself. It was awful. She was predeceased by : her parents, Leslie Stowell and Margaret Stowell. They had seen Lois pull Dennis ears so hard that blood flowed. At the urging of authorities, Jerry placed Dennis for adoption after being told that he would receive good care.[1]. roger w. tufte sr. was born on march 22, 1945 in lakota, nd the son of clarence and esther (johnson. You see, Gingold said, I didnt have to go that far. Top Rated Seller. plans and enthusiasm Those looking back now, those who unraveled the case, tend to shrug and shake their heads when Votels name comes up. There is a problem with your email/password. 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. I looked down. This case was a drop of water in the river.. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. Family members linked to this person will appear here. She knew that Lois had finished only the eighth grade. In the early 1980s, Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood, looked for Dennis, only to find out he had died in 1965. . . Robert lived with other relatives, ultimately settling for two years with a distant cousin before he returned home. 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 . last You dont know what to think, Donna Marlene said. Sherwood became suspicious and persuaded authorities to investigate. She thought the postplacement period had been quite successful. 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. Rekdahl found him friendly and talkative--perhaps too much so, for he often strayed widely from the subject at hand. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. He was born on September 29, 1941 in rural Adams, and was later baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church of rural Pickrell. Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965. He doesnt look like a tiny little kid, he thought. ). It is fair to say that this finding raised considerable questions. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Tragically, just a few years after the adoption, Dennis died from peritonitis. Rekdahl was developing real doubts about this placement, but the Jurgenses decided to go see Dennis that afternoon. Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates). We would like to have done something, but it was none of our business. Lois had had a history of mental illnesses including depression and psychosis and was originally deemed . or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. 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 trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, USA. ``If she had been convicted of this in 1965 she probably would have done about three years, Thomson said. Oops, we were unable to send the email. She grew up and attended school in Malvern, graduating in 1947. She remembered the names, the faces--she particularly remembered Dennis. Officially forbidden to adopt children owing to Lois' history of mental illness, the couple managed to adopt a baby named Robert privately. On the night of his death, Lois was in an extremely bad mood due to flooding which was filling up the basement with water. There is a lot to be known about the science of this whole darn subject, he said. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. What had happened--and how--and why? and this case
He would wait until the police investigation could resolve the matter. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. Three-year-old Dennis Craig (Puckett) Jurgens was tortured to death in the wee hours of April 11th, 1965. This was a murder.

 

The question of Dennis Jurgens death next fell to the Ramsey County attorneys office. The process of adopting Dennis was completed. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. The chief one involved the nature of the malady that killed Dennis.

We came very close to trying to do something. She thought Dennis too aggressive, his wild behavior quite unlike Roberts. 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. Instead the judge agonized, repeatedly expressing from the bench his sense of conflict and uncertainty.

I did my best.. It would have been difficult at the time to prove that Lois Jurgens had committed murder. . The only part of him that I saw was his chest and his face. Dr. It was highly unlikely that a fall on a flat surface could have caused this. Woman Tortures Adoptive Son To Death Lois Jurgens (40) was variously described as both short-tempered and vindictive by her neighbours and others who encountered her in the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and it was well known that she experienced bouts of severe depression and psychosis.

Such stories are not rare. 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. Thanks for your help! She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota . https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134346102/lois-germaine_josephine-jurgens. This, coupled with the lack of a statute of limitations for a murder charge, could lead the way to a prosecution of Lois Jurgens. Sorry! A jury deliberated about five hours Friday before finding Lois Jurgens, 61, of Stillwater, Minn., guilty of third-degree murder, or an unintentional killing. There was testimony from other officers that he impeded the investigation into the child's death. From a newspaper notice of his death she had learned that the boys body bore multiple injuries and bruises. In the 1960s, the term child abuse had not yet been coined and no one, not even medical professionals and teachers, was required to report suspicions. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Korolchuk would never get the chance to answer such questions. She was sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in prison and was paroled in 1995. The author's ability to set the scene of a tranquil.

 

Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. They had checked on him throughout the night. In 1984, Jurgens was the artist for the Sun Devils limited series (July 1984 - June 1985), with writers Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas. When Harold took him to the bathroom at about 7:30 or 8 in the morning, Dennis had seemed fine. The prosecutor had a different attitude back then, Votel said recently. #dennisjurgens #jerrysherwood #truecrime Jerry Puckett's mother abandoned her when she was three, she was raised by her father and abused by two stepmothers.. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. Free shipping for many products! You have chosen this person to be their own family member.

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. Most simply remain hidden. 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. The word homicide remained unspoken.

The victim

She said she had set Dennis in the sink to wash him after he had wet his diaper, then had gone into another room to get a clean diaper. . To the casual observer, the Jurgens' seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. . . The defense picked the doctor, and set parameters on what questions he could ask. Our kids have fallen down steps and not died. Lois Jean Jurgens, the daughter of Lawrence A. and Marjorie V. (Johnson) Jones, was born on May 26, 1929 in Malvern, Iowa. Sherwood eventually located Dennis's death certificate; because the death was categorized as "deferred", the case was still technically open. . he told the grand jury last year. 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. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. He is extremely alert. I can recall seeing some, but its not very clear. 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. He assured that it was going on, that this would be his responsibility to get the information, bring it back to me so I could complete the certificate. 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. She also describes him as a clown, always laughing at himself or other people when they are around. 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. The two also teased what's in store for readers . This is a carousel with slides. She believed that Lois Jurgens was accepting and embracing Dennis, and he seemed healthy and adjusted. 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.

He attended Olney Rural Elementary School and graduated from Filley High School in 1959. cemeteries found in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Clayton Robinson Jr., a former prosecutor in the case, said Jurgens should not have been released yet. They attempted to mind their own business and feared retribution from Lois, who was not above threatening the lives of her family members. They had just buried the body, and that was all. 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. 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. Soon after, Jerry Puckett dropped her plan to convert--but by then Dennis was already registered as Catholic on the adoption rolls.

 

He felt that she needed psychiatric help very badly and, without it, might become psychotic. 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.