This was the situation that Gerane Rekdahl, a Ramsey County welfare case worker, found when she visited the Jurgens home on March 1, 1962. Now the town is most frequently described as middle class. A jury deliberated about five hours Friday before finding Lois Jurgens, 61, of Stillwater, Minn., guilty of third-degree murder, or an unintentional killing. 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. Lois also was not pleased to learn how active Dennis was. 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. Donna Marlene had seen other things. 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 Jurgens released after serving eight years, The Winona Daily News, June, 7, 1995. As the new adopted children were older, there were many first-hand histories (recounted to the media during the 1987 trial of Lois Jurgens) describing the severe abuse they suffered at their adoptive mother's hands. They attempted to mind their own business and feared retribution from Lois, who was not above threatening the lives of her family members. It was harder to believe that Dennis had been awake and talking normally an hour and a half before he died.

 

Donna Mae Zerwas, Lois sister-in-law, had seen all that and more. The night of his death, a great flood had hit the Saint Paul area and the Mississippi River's waters were rising to record levels, causing flooding in the region and inside the Jurgens' home. Several relatives now told the investigators they would not sign statements. harold e bageant obituary visitation funeral information. Dennis was adopted by the Jurgens, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, a suburb of Saint Paul: Harold Robert Jurgens, a former bandleader turned electrician, and Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens, a homemaker.

Family members immediately begin whispering "she killed him" , referring to his adoptive moth He had one great friend, his world's Lois, but she died and now he sees another version of her still alive and pregnant. 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. 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. It would have been difficult at the time to prove that Lois Jurgens had committed murder. Rekdahl suggested that if she had negative feelings, it would be best for them not to take the child. In the early 1980s, Jerry Sherwood went looking for the newborn son she gave up for adoption 20 years prior. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota.

On the night of his death, Lois was in an extremely bad mood due to flooding which was filling up the basement with water. Problems arose within the police department as well. White Bear Lake, Minnesota. He does not sound very well behaved, she said. 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. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. Lois Jurgens at the time that she had custody of Dennis. She always proclaimed her innocence. Do you have a camera in the car, he asked VanderWyst.

The victim

None.. Jurgens was one of 16 children. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. According to sworn testimony by both Korolchuk and VanderWyst before a grand jury last year, Zerwas at the time warned the investigating officers that he would do everything in his power to keep his sisters name clear. He eats well. VanderWyst climbed into his patrol car and backed down the Jurgens driveway at 11:48 A.M. VanderWysts departure did not go unnoticed. When they cleared land for his basement, theyd found old rolls of amusement park ticketsthree rides for a nickel. Together they went into Dennis room to inspect the body. How could a kid fall down the steps and die? She was a good dozen years younger than the Jurgenses. The case is described in detail in Barry Siegel's true-crime novel, A Death in White Bear Lake. The county had filed a custody petition, alleging neglect. She knew that Lois had finished only the eighth grade. When you judge a case, you dont do so in a vacuum, Lindholm would explain years later in an interview. Donohue, their attorney, had allowed Lois before the hearing to be examined by a psychiatrist only under the strictest conditions. The cause of death was peritonitis, but the autopsy photos showed him covered in bruises with an anguished expression on his face and the coroner had not determined a mode of death, accident, natural causes, or homicide. . Lois Jurgens was disappointed about Dennis age. He was frequently starved, to rid him of "sloppy fat," as Lois called it (she also called him "Sloppy Fat" as a nickname). charles edward ed holland memorial park funeral homes and cemeteries. Stanley Wiatros was one of them. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. When Lois found him gasping and gurgling at 9 a.m., she promptly called Dr. Peterson. She was the adoptive mother of six children in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutally abused them all, killing one of them, 3-year-old Dennis Jurgens, in 1965. In winter, they got the north wind, so the lake froze too rough for ice skating. 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.

It is essentially unconceivable to me, without a protruding object above the floor, that he could have been injured in this way, Woodburn said. The author's ability to set the scene of a tranquil. Rekdahl found her judgment confirmed by the Jurgenses priest. Please reset your password. Donohue was not inclined to relax such controls. But, at a hearing just one month after Dennis death, Peterson, when asked if there was anything unusual about the burn accident, said: No, not in particular.. As he read, he stiffened in his chair. 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. When Dennis cried, Lois would force his head under the cold water faucet at the kitchen sink. They had been able to discuss Lois weaknesses, even her past mental depression, without Lois becoming too nervous or upset or defensive. roger w. tufte sr. was born on march 22, 1945 in lakota, nd the son of clarence and esther (johnson. 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. The only part of him that I saw was his chest and his face. He was born on September 29, 1941 in rural Adams, and was later baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church of rural Pickrell. No one proposed handing the investigation to some other body--to, say, the county sheriffs office. Their flight, coupled with the lingering suspicions surrounding Dennis' death, resulted in the termination of Lois and Harold Jurgens' parental rights. Dennis nose was blood-red--VanderWyst thought it looked as if you just wiped it once more youd probably take the rest of the skin away. 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. Then there were the neighbors and relatives who had seen incidents and evidence of abuse. Verify and try again. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave.

Drag images here or select from your computer for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens memorial. the prosecution saw Lois Jurgens
A Mrs. Hansen called to report a lost wallet, which resulted in an officers checking a phone booth at Fourth and Washington streets, next to the Avalon Jewelers. I want photos of this, he thought. You do consider social attitudes. This story changed a lot about the Superman line of booksincluding introducing iconic '90s heroes like Superboy and Steeland DC Comics writ large. However, he was in failing health and his autopsy results did not indicate poisoning. 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). 1 Bakgrunn; 2 Innhold; . Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Why was there no disposition of this case? However, he was in failing health and his autopsy results did not indicate poisoning. None of this, however, was what had killed Dennis. Brand New. Is it quite customary to see a little boy with so many bruises, he was asked. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota . On January 13, 2000, she was initially suspected of poisoning her husband, Harold. Petersburg, ILLois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. It was just inconceivable to Woodburn that Dennis had been so injured by slipping and falling on a basement floor. Forever' w/ the To the casual observer, the Jurgens' seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. 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. . Votel could not take the first step. They beat my baby to death.   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 . . I dont think this case is an aberration at all, said Michael McGee, the current Ramsey County medical examiner who finally ruled Dennis death a homicide. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. She thought Dennis too aggressive, his wild behavior quite unlike Roberts. They were informed they would not be allowed to foster or adopt any additional children. When Dennis Jurgens died at the age of 3 in 1965, authorities here never ruled whether his death was an accident, a homicide or the result of natural causes. There was also a great deal of suspicion surrounding Jerome Zerwas, the brother of Lois Jurgens, who was a police lieutenant in the city of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Mrs. Well, I do, he replied. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. His intensely angry adoptive mother, Lois Jurgens, know for her short, volatile temper, murdered him. Tragically, just a few years after the adoption, Dennis died from peritonitis. She demanded to know the truth about her son's death. They had just buried the body, and that was all. He had served as a reference when they adopted Robert. There was no community pressure back then. Sorry! Harold told relatives he was going to be out of town the weekend of April 10 and 11, 1965. She had a pathological need for control over her environment and obsessively cleaned and tended to her home and garden, desperate to appear the picture of the perfect housewife. You consider how well you can sell this to 12 people in the jury box. There was testimony from other officers that he impeded the investigation into the child's death. She did not want this to influence their decision, but in all truthfulness, that was the reality. This post is sponsored by Open Road Media.

Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Dan Jurgens on how The Death of Superman has "withstood that test of time" By Grant DeArmitt published 27 July 2022 The creator best known for The Death of Superman explains its impact 30. The topic under consideration was the possible placement of Dennis Puckett with the Jurgens family. Retired now for several years, he suffers from angina and does not go out much, but he recalls the 1965 hearing. During the internal autopsy, Woodburn found a quarter-inch hole in the boys small bowel. They covered the legs, the arms, the hands, the head, the shoulders, the back of the head, the buttocks, the small of the back, the middle of the back, the back of the left leg.

 

She wanted assurances. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. In 1987, Jurgens was convicted of third-degree murder of Dennis. As the laws were then interpreted, he believed that he would have to link a specific action taken by Lois Jurgens to the precise cause of death. 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. The official records say 1,200 children died of abuse in 1986, but many experts believe the figure would reach 5,000 if closer attention were paid to some deaths attributed to accident or blamed on sudden infant death syndrome. He couldnt push Votel on this. She was sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in prison and was paroled in 1995. Two or three couples signed written statements. . 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. The neighbors talked among themselves that afternoon. She believed that Lois Jurgens was accepting and embracing Dennis, and he seemed healthy and adjusted. A few wondered how the Jurgenses had ever been allowed to adopt children. Notes [ edit] ^ "ANGELIZD's Place - Child Abuse Pages - Dennis Craig Jurgens". 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. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The next day, Dennis brother, Robert, was picked up and taken to a local hospital, on order of Juvenile Court Judge Archie Gingold. The afflicted look and act very sick for a matter of hours, sometimes days. By all accounts, Lois was obsessed with abusing Dennis, and she wanted the world to know he was a "bad child," and made no apologies about the inappropriate way she was disciplining him. The word homicide remained unspoken. On April 26, Korolchuk drafted an analysis of the information they had gathered. Harvey had been a rookie cop here in 1965, but Sherwoods story triggered no memories. angelizdsplace.com/. They beat my baby to death, Sherwood told Buzz Harvey.

Dennis Craig Jurgens, 3.

WHAT happened? Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? 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. Dennis Craig Jurgens was an American 3-year-old boy who was murdered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota in April 1965. It is one of a few crimes that FBI agent Kenneth Lanning argues can legitimately be described as "ritual abuse".

A dead boy, though, was something else. From the bench, he said he hoped that they could find something to explain the mistreatment of Dennis. He never wanted to say a bad word about anyone. Lois Jurgens agreed, but seemed scared that she would not be offered another child. A condition of neglect did exist. 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. The sequel spins out of The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1, which transformed construction worker Lloyd Crayton into a new Doomsday-like villain for Superman: Doombreaker. I didnt examine him further.. Failed to report flower. On Nov. 28, 1962, members of the Scott and Ramsey counties welfare departments, including Rekdahl, had a conference in the town of Shakopee. 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. A Mrs. Charles reported a car blocking a driveway at 823 5th St. A Mrs. Krugger reported that children were damming the street at Elm and Ebba (there had been heavy rain the night before). from United States. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Jurgens, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. To him, that was close to frightening. Active children that bruise easily .
Dr. Peterson said he saw nothing unusual in Dennis life or death. He returned to the Jurgens home in time to meet the coroners investigator, Saveiro Pitera.
Peritonitis is a horribly painful illness involving shock, collapse of the blood vessel system, high fever and breathing difficulties. . Walter Moore, a co-worker of Harold Jurgens, also came to the funeral. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. He doesnt look like a tiny little kid, he thought. Jurgens who says he still has the yellow legal pad on which he did his quick sketch was the victor. After seeing newspaper reports about the death, she was convinced that he had been beaten to death and demanded the case be re-opened. SHAKOPEE, Minn. (AP) _ A mother who beat her adopted son to death and then covered up the crime for two decades was released from prison today after serving eight years. . Dennis had thrown up then.  
Heroes abound now in White Bear Lake, visible and proud of their roles in unraveling the mystery of Dennis death. . 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. She would be a poor candidate for adopting a child at this time, the psychiatrist in 1955 had advised St. Pauls Bureau of Catholic Charities, where the Jurgenses for years had vainly sought children. Votel went through living hell, one local judge said. A vivid portrait of an all-American town that harbored a killer, A Death in White Bear Lake is also the absorbing story of two detectives who refused to give up until they had the killer cold. They had only two requests. Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates). The victim They would not know for two weeks whether Dennis would need skin grafts, he had told Rekdahl. While visiting one Thanksgiving, she saw Lois force-feed Dennis, in a highchair, by shoving a fork full of food into his mouth. Thank you very much in advance. That isnt an issue at all. HH at the best online prices at eBay! After Dennis' death, an older adopted son, Robert, was removed from the Jurgens home. Tragically, just a few years after the adoption, Dennis died from peritonitis. I thought the burn accident was a weird story when she told it, but again, there just was not that level of awareness, things didnt get referred. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. The welfare department case work was very limited. She had a story to tell. 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. . 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 process of adopting Dennis was completed. Nor had his arrival two hours before. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White . . He was shaken. 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. ``May God strike her dead, thats what I have to say to Lois Jurgens, Jerry Sherwood said.
That was all Gingold had to concern himself with.

 

The hole had allowed a fifth of a quart of infectious, purulent fecal material to flow into the abdominal cavity. Sadly, the mother-son reunion was not meant to be; Jerry's child had died just before his fourth birthday. The Jurgenses had wanted a younger child and Dennis was almost a year old.

 

Now VanderWyst was looking at him, asking a question: What was the cause of death?. They just werent going to get any damaging information from him. At first Bob Brass thought the squad car was Loiss brothers, but then they saw VanderWyst in the driveway. Lois Jurgens was the infamous subject of one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota.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.. Jurgens was one of sixteen children. That will require a juvenile hearing on neglect. . There is a problem with your email/password. Harold Jurgens suggested that perhaps they should not go forward with the adoption of Dennis, but Lois refused out of concern that it would discourage the authorities from allowing them to adopt further children. Sherwood's tenacity, along with the tragedy of her personal loss, kept the story in the public eye. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Robert lived with other relatives, ultimately settling for two years with a distant cousin before he returned home. The foster mother thinks him a little wild one, but she means this appreciatively and derives pleasure from his antics. ``I prayed for eight years that shed die in there. 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. Clothing retains the heat. Lois E. Jurgens, 82, passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012 at Lakeland Health Care Center Elkhorn, WI. Of course, there was that one bad accident involving third-degree burns to Dennis penis and scrotum. If the doc cant figure this out, hed say, well. Paul Lindholm, the assistant county attorney, considered it. Jurgens' other adopted son, Robert, testified at the trial, at which Lois Jurgens (then in her 60s) was convicted of third-degree murder and sentenced to prison.[4]. To the casual observer, the Jurgens seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. 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.

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