lois jurgens' death
Throughout the years of frequent abuse, it has been reported that while Harold Jurgens made little effort to curb his wife's abuse of young Dennis, he personally never mistreated the boy. 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. 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. 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. Rekdahl found him friendly and talkative--perhaps too much so, for he often strayed widely from the subject at hand. Of course, there was that one bad accident involving third-degree burns to Dennis penis and scrotum. Several told of having seen Dennis bruised and battered.

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. On bare skin, the heat just flashes off. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. 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. based on information from your browser. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where she lived at the time. [citation needed][3]. He would later learn much more, would attend seminars and organize a county task force on the problem, but it cannot be said that Gingold knew nothing in 1965 about the battered-child syndrome. 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). Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. To the casual observer, the Jurgens' seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. WHAT happened? . The mother was an unmarried 17-year-old, Jerry Ann Puckett, an attractive blonde of Danish-German extraction. The rows of neatly kept houses, the modern police station and the shopping strips all reflect a level of modest comfort rather than affluence. They carried assorted life insurance polices worth $10,000. The process of adopting Dennis was completed. Lois is survived by her. Rekdahl thought Lois Jurgens, then almost 37, to be a rather attractive woman, although she was short and a trifle on the chubby side. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . Thank you very much in advance. Judge Gingold would not back down either. Lois Jurgens at the time that she had custody of Dennis. Lois Jurgens was sentenced to 25 years in the Shakopee women's correctional facility for third-degree murder. He pulled the file on the ancient case and began leafing through the yellowing pages. Dennis had died of peritonitis. Year should not be greater than current year. It was not his job to do anything other than pronounce the boy dead. The policeman did not, so they carried the body to the coroners van. 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. Failed to delete memorial. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. This had required at least two hospitalizations at the Mayo Clinic and at a small psychiatric hospital called Crestview, where she had received electrical shock treatments. Try again later. Stanley Wiatros was one of them. . I looked down. Family members linked to this person will appear here. I would also like to receive the Early Bird Books newsletter which features great deals on FREE and discounted ebooks. Is it quite customary to see a little boy with so many bruises, he was asked. 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. Lois had had a history of mental illnesses including depression and psychosis and was originally deemed . I was young then, just out of college, the social worker said recently in an interview. She knew that Lois came from a large, poor, Catholic family of 16 children, a family that at times survived on welfare. I tried to assure her that these things happen in any family.. Those in the station familiar with the downtown strip joints in nearby St. Paul might have recognized Jerry Ann Sherwood from her earlier tenure at Alarys Club Bar. 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. Lois' remedy for the toddler wetting his diaper too frequently was to place a spring-action clothespin upon the end of his penis. . You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. roger w. tufte sr. was born on march 22, 1945 in lakota, nd the son of clarence and esther (johnson. One might get a first impression that Lois was cold and indifferent, but to Rekdahl, this seemed a defense for insecurities. Three-year-old Dennis Craig (Puckett) Jurgens was tortured to death in the wee hours of April 11th, 1965. Their investments and savings totaled $2,200. There is a lot to be known about the science of this whole darn subject, he said. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White . She talked about it all the time, in fact. None.. He felt that she needed psychiatric help very badly and, without it, might become psychotic. Why was there no disposition of this case? Searching him out, she discovers he died at 3 1/2, though the death certificate does not show what killed him. 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. He was frequently starved, to rid him of "sloppy fat," as Lois called it (she also called him "Sloppy Fat" as a nickname). 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. The electric streetcar with overhead power lines, running as a spur off the main railroad tracks along Highway 61, would stop just three doors down. This story changed a lot about the Superman line of booksincluding introducing iconic '90s heroes like Superboy and Steeland DC Comics writ large. They attempted to mind their own business and feared retribution from Lois, who was not above threatening the lives of her family members. 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 three-and-a-half years of age. How could the hot water splashing down on the baby have burned only his penis and scrotum? The hole had allowed a fifth of a quart of infectious, purulent fecal material to flow into the abdominal cavity. But how did such an infection occur in the first place? But how did such an infection occur in the first place? 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. plans and enthusiasm

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. Please enter your email and password to sign in. We have many

 

VanderWyst didnt push the matter. Years later, Dr. Lynn Solem, the present director of the burn center at St. Paul-Ramsey Hospital, would explain that though this type of burn is now regarded as a sign of child abuse, in 1963 it would have been accepted as accidental. When Dennis messed his bed, she said, she forced the boy to eat his feces. In early December, 1963, Rekdahl paid her last postplacement visit to the Jurgenses. That isnt an issue at all. It was just inconceivable to Woodburn that Dennis had been so injured by slipping and falling on a basement floor. 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. Star Tribune photo by Donald Black. She was a good dozen years younger than the Jurgenses. Try again. There was a large, swollen scrape on the forehead. The body was severely undernourished, nearly emaciated. Petersburg, ILLois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. 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. She seemed to Scott County welfare workers a hostile and sullen young woman, unhappy and emotionally underdeveloped. 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. . You can always change this later in your Account settings. In the early 1980s, Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood, looked for Dennis, only to find out he had died in 1965. Theres nothing worse, Peterson had thought, than seeing a dead child. . Aided by the testimony of the Jurgens' other adopted son, Robert, I have several children about that age with this same problem. Many years later, he explained why: I was quite certain it was a homicide, quite certain, Gingold said recently in an interview.

 

He is able to turn himself over and is extremely strong, almost ready to stand by himself. He does not sound very well behaved, she said. She saw Harold, then 40, as a tall, rather swarthy man of German and Norwegian extraction, with dark brown hair and eyes. Most simply remain hidden. The house at 2148 South Gardenette Drive, White Bear Lake, where the Jurgenses lived from 1957 to 1967. The St. Paul Pioneer Press ran a cover story about the investigation on Sunday, October 12, 1986. She thought they had a lovely home. Thirty years later, writer and artist Dan Jurgens is revisiting the storyline that gripped the world. updates Eventually, all four of the siblings from Kentucky and Robert escaped the home by running away and getting help from concerned neighbors. Dr. 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. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. From the bench, he said he hoped that they could find something to explain the mistreatment of Dennis. Paul Lindholm, the assistant county attorney, considered it. He knew Peterson as a man always willing to help others, as a doctor very much for his patients. A piano and bass fiddle occupied the living room. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Sherwood eventually located Dennis's death certificate; because the death was categorized as "deferred", the case was still technically open. 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. He liked them. 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. memorial page for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens (12 Aug 1925-7 May 2013), Find a Grave Memorial ID 134346102, citing Union Cemetery, Maplewood, Ramsey County . They also caught crappies and smallmouth bass and northern pike, but the sunfish were the best. Certain neighbors and family members knew there were problems with Lois' treatment of Dennis but did nothing to prevent it. C $186.13. Sherwood also told D'Angelo that Dana Ivey's interpretation of Lois Jurgens is eerily accurate. There was an error deleting this problem. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Heroes abound now in White Bear Lake, visible and proud of their roles in unraveling the mystery of Dennis death.

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. Lois Jurgens had been sentenced to up to 25 years for the 1965 slaying of 3-year-old Dennis Jurgens. After all, Dorothy Engfer more than once had seen Lois smack Dennis so hard the blood flowed from his nose, and Gladys DeMars had watched Dennis over two summers wither from a husky, jolly baby to a wan little boy covered with bruises and black eyes and split lips. To this end, she forced religious training on her young sons; reports had young Robert flawlessly reciting the Rosary at two. Father Riser told her he definitely would. . 1 Bakgrunn; 2 Innhold; . The hearing would prove to be a curious affair. Jurgens and Weeks joined CBR to discuss launching Lois & Clark 2 and spoilers for its first installment. Try again later. . roger w. tufte sr, 76, resident of lakota, nd died saturday, february 26, 2022 at the lakota good samaritan center. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Initial placement was with a licensed, unrelated foster family, but Robert was then moved to his paternal grandparents at his parents' request. She believed that Lois had opened up a great deal and tried to be as truthful as possible. Eventually Lois Jurgens was arraigned, and her identity released by the media. VanderWyst climbed into his patrol car and backed down the Jurgens driveway at 11:48 A.M. VanderWysts departure did not go unnoticed. 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. He wrote deferred in the box where he was to specify the manner of death, and put the certificate aside. Harold was infertile and the Jurgenses desperately wanted to adopt another child. It would be no use. Now VanderWyst was looking at him, asking a question: What was the cause of death?. She wanted assurances. In our family you dont dare say much.. They beat my baby to death. When you judge a case, you dont do so in a vacuum, Lindholm would explain years later in an interview. Three-year-old Dennis Jurgens is murdered by his adoptive mother. The Jurgenses are not being attacked anywhere along the line. 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.