Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Harold was infertile and the Jurgenses desperately wanted to adopt another child. Try again. 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. 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. He liked them. By the second week, the investigation began to encounter obstacles. 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.
Rekdahl found him friendly and talkative--perhaps too much so, for he often strayed widely from the subject at hand. This post is sponsored by Open Road Media. Lois is survived by her husband, Floyd Jurgens; children Gary Jurgens and Caron Klein (Bruce);. . ). Though autopsy photos showed Dennis body was covered in bruises at the time of his death, the coroner never declared it an accidentor rather, what it really was: murder. . He couldnt comprehend anyone torturing a kid, Peterson would explain many years later. From their patio, they could see huge bass jumping in the water. It had always troubled her, more than any she handled before or since. Oops, we were unable to send the email. We did not have enough evidence of any kind to deny them. 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. Lets not build up some fiction that now we have done everything we should do.. Several told of having seen Dennis bruised and battered. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. This, coupled with the lack of a statute of limitations for a murder charge, could lead the way to a prosecution of Lois Jurgens. This browser does not support getting your location. 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. Dennis Craig Jurgens was an American 3-year-old boy who was murdered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota in April 1965. That will make you swallow, Lois had said. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. 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. Rekdahl suggested that if she had negative feelings, it would be best for them not to take the child. Rekdahl was a little concerned, since the accident actually had happened seven days before the phone call, but her main inclination was to soothe Lois Jurgens. Though the name of the adoptive family was not given, many suspected that the story was about Lois Jurgens. 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. They just werent going to get any damaging information from him. VanderWyst drove the mile to his house in silence, the young boy sitting beside 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. in the third degree and sent to prison. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. 
According to Rekdahls written log, that was the sum of what Peterson said to her. Still it is fair to say that the story Lois Jurgens told required a considerable imagination to embrace. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Dennis & Robert This was the first child-abuse case he had handled. 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.
and this case
After Dennis' death, an older adopted son, Robert, was removed from the Jurgens home. He eats well. One might get a first impression that Lois was cold and indifferent, but to Rekdahl, this seemed a defense for insecurities. 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. The case is described in detail in Barry Siegel's true-crime novel, A Death in White Bear Lake. . 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. Robert would remain in county custody for the time being. On the other hand, he could not bring himself to embrace the notion that Lois Jurgens was a murderer. Now the town is most frequently described as middle class. Doug Thomson, who defended Jurgens, said his client did not get out early. The process of adopting Dennis was completed. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens was an American convicted murderer. 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. What to make of Dennis Jurgens death now was passed into the hands of the Ramsey County coroner. She was born February 25, 1927 to Leslie and Margaret Stowell in Cass County Il. I was not trained in mental illness. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. 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. Eventually, all four of the siblings from Kentucky and Robert escaped the home by running away and getting help from concerned neighbors. I dont know how to describe it, she said. Man held is death of retarded foster child, Minneapolis Star, May 21, 1971. It looked to her as if the roses were placed there to cover up the dark blue markings. The suspicious death of Dennis Jurgens wasnt properly investigated for 20 years. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help The coroner noted there was evidence of adult, human bite marks on his penis and scarring all over his scrotum; he was also found to be wearing two diapers and a pair of rubber pants at the age of three and one-half years. He wrote deferred in the box where he was to specify the manner of death, and put the certificate aside. Vachss uttalte at boken ikke forklarer begrunnelsen for at Harold er passiv, mens den har tilstrekkelig informasjon om Lois Jurgens. She thought Dennis was sloppy fat. This particularly surprised Rekdahl. The policeman did not, so they carried the body to the coroners van.
A dead boy, though, was something else. He was an outgoing child, as happy and adjusted as could be expected under the circumstances. There he had been loved and well cared for by an experienced foster mother. Resend Activation Email. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Though there was an investigation, society and law enforcement of the mid-1960s did not accept the concept that a child in a middle-class home could be the target of abuse. When you judge a case, you dont do so in a vacuum, Lindholm would explain years later in an interview. On the other hand, she realized the improbability of being offered another Catholic baby in the near future. Pitera would take photos later that day. Lois had a question: Would Father Riser write a letter in support of their present effort to adopt another child, a third child? His intensely angry adoptive mother, Lois Jurgens, know for her short, volatile temper, murdered him. He would testify that he had talked to some lady down there. Others promised that they would do so. There was also talk years earlier of her having started the fire at her in-laws' home which killed her mother-in-law, with whom she never got along. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Lois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. Soon after, Jerry Puckett dropped her plan to convert--but by then Dennis was already registered as Catholic on the adoption rolls. Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood. To this end, she forced religious training on her young sons; reports had young Robert flawlessly reciting the Rosary at 2. 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. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. He knew that parents otherwise free of major symptoms of psychotic illness could abuse children. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Four days after he drafted this analysis, on April 30, he and VanderWyst were pulled off the case. You dont know what to think, Donna Marlene said. To all appearances, they were a normal midwestern family, but Jerry suspected that something sinister had happened in the Jurgens household. If you throw up, you are going to eat it. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Harold and Lois Jurgensa middle-class, churchgoing couple who had been unable to have children of their ownhad adopted Sherwoods son, Dennis, in 1962. Dennis was lying face up in his crib, his stiffened arms raised eight inches off the bed. conviction
The official cause of death was peritonitis due to perforation of the small bowel wich even 1965 was treatable if he'd been brought to the hospital . 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. 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. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. Moments later, VanderWyst, rising to leave, asked Lois if there was anything else he could do, such as call her brother Jerome. [citation needed], Dennis Jurgens was born Dennis Craig Puckett in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. 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. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Dennis had died of peritonitis. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. 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. 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 There is no evidence we are dealing with any people here who have any demon-like motives. 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. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. When Dennis cried, Lois would force his head under the cold water faucet at the kitchen sink. It was as if the authorities had found a way to try Lois Jurgens for Dennis death without calling it a murder. They felt sad, and also naggingly disturbed. Forever' w/ the The afflicted look and act very sick for a matter of hours, sometimes days. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134346102/lois-germaine_josephine-jurgens. Problems arose within the police department as well. Oops, something didn't work. She had not noticed anything was wrong until sometime later, when Dennis began holding himself and saying, Owie! It was then she saw that his genitals were burned and called the doctor. The case is described in detail in Barry Siegel's true-crime novel, A Death in White Bear Lake. With the exception of the severe burns, his health remained quite good. She knew that Lois had finished only the eighth grade. Try again later. 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. VanderWyst was not close social friends with the Jurgenses, but he knew them well enough to greet them on the street. . From a newspaper notice of his death she had learned that the boys body bore multiple injuries and bruises. Lois had talked to them all about her toilet training methods. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. . They were independent of each other. 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. The psychiatrist also observed that Lois had an obsession about order and cleanliness. Its easy today to say, Why didnt they prosecute? but it was a different time, a different time. To use this feature, use a newer browser. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. . 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. Learn more about managing a memorial . Lois Jurgens was at home alone with the children much of the weekend of Dennis' death. 
He feared finding himself alone. They beat my baby to death. The rows of neatly kept houses, the modern police station and the shopping strips all reflect a level of modest comfort rather than affluence. As he read, he stiffened in his chair. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. Lois Jurgens, know for her short, volatile temper, murdered him. When he wet his pants, she said, she put a clothespin on his penis. If the doc cant figure this out, hed say, well. There appeared to be a number of discrepancies in the Jurgenses story, he noted. In talking to the county attorney and the chief of police, we had gone as far as we could and we were told that was it, wed have to terminate the investigation.. I was advised that the information was being obtained, that there was an ongoing investigation, Votel said recently. The coroner noted in his report that Dennis had almost zero subcutaneous fat, at the level of a person who had died of starvation. We would like to have done something, but it was none of our business. 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. The psychiatrist thought it fortunate that Lois Jurgens could not get pregnant because a child would only compound and complicate her emotional disturbances. Lois Jurgens agreed, but seemed scared that she would not be offered another child.
In 1965, it was a private general practitioner, Dr. Thomas Votel, who handled the coroners duties on a part-time basis for $6,300 a year. . You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Jurgens, now 69, was convicted of third-degree murder in 1987 in what at the time was the oldest homicide to go to trial in Minnesota. Father Bernard Riser of the St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church had known the Jurgenses for years and considered them to be among his parishs best families. ?Tadeusz: I never remember pretty women. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens I found on Findagrave.com. What had happened--and how--and why? On April 26, Korolchuk drafted an analysis of the information they had gathered. 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. We didnt believe it was possible in nice, middle-class suburban families.. DC artist Dan Jurgens shares an image of an unused Electric Blue Superman design from 1996, reminiscing about what might have been. Even with half the body obscured, VanderWyst noticed the bruises--an awful lot of them he would say later. The mother was an unmarried 17-year-old, Jerry Ann Puckett, an attractive blonde of Danish-German extraction. She remembered the names, the faces--she particularly remembered Dennis. The coroner noted there was evidence of adult human bite marks on his penis, and scarring all over his scrotum; he was also found to be wearing two diapers and a pair of rubber pants at the age of 3+12 years. Instead, Peterson would build an ice rink on his front lawnhed raise a circular wood wall, lay in six inches of leaves gathered from all the neighbors for mulch, then cover that with sheet plastic, one hundred feet long, fifty feet wide, and fill it with water from the hose. From the bench, he said he hoped that they could find something to explain the mistreatment of Dennis. He very strongly favored the Jurgenses getting another child. The White Bear Lake police log for the morning of April 11, 1965--Palm Sunday--included the sort of events to be expected in such a town. This account has been disabled. That was all Gingold had to concern himself with. I tried to assure her that these things happen in any family.. I felt we actually checked out the concerns quite carefully.. But how did such an infection occur in the first place? The Jurgens' adoption of Robert seemed successful in the eyes of authorities, who began to consider the possibility that they might adopt more children through official channels. 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. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . So began a painstaking inquiry into the past--an inquiry that in recent months has pulled back the curtains on a decidedly uncomfortable vision. Then he began to look terrible--his face so old, like a little old man. Harold Jurgens, an electrical foreman, made $10,000 in 1962, and this placed his family a cut above many of their friends and neighbors. 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. They said it was from a fall down the basement stairs. After The Murder. 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. The investigation, trial, and conviction are considered landmarks in the history of child abuse law. The boys mouth was getting full, he wasnt swallowing, so Lois put horseradish on the fork. 
The term is relative. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. He doesnt look like a tiny little kid, he thought. They would not know for two weeks whether Dennis would need skin grafts, he had told Rekdahl. Innhold. There was a bluish mark on the right side of the head that started at the temple and extended to behind the right ear. The county had filed a custody petition, alleging neglect. #dennisjurgens #jerrysherwood #truecrime Jerry Puckett's mother abandoned her when she was three, she was raised by her father and abused by two stepmothers.. VanderWyst and Korolchuk had brought in the file themselves and lobbied for prosecution. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. "There are certainly problems," says Jurgens, one of the main architects of . In the early 1980s, Jerry Sherwood went looking for the newborn son she gave up for adoption 20 years prior. VanderWyst didnt push the matter. Rekdahl could not so assure her. Failed to delete memorial. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Obituary. There was enough evidence to sustain child abuse and neglect charges. Top Rated Seller. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national headlines and was the top news story of the state of Minnesota in 1987. The body was severely undernourished, nearly emaciated. J. was a little nervous today and I felt was probably upset for fear of what we would think of such a thing happening to Dennis, she wrote in her log. Want more true crime books? Lois, who abused Dennis constantly, escalated to new levels of rage as the flood waters filled her basement. Donna Mae, about 5 feet away, watched in horror as Lois force-fed that vomit to him, made him eat it. Two or three couples signed written statements. Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965. She was a good dozen years younger than the Jurgenses. "There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved.". There were many fateful moments in Dennis brief life, moments in which his destiny could have been changed. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. When he wouldnt have a bowel movement, she said, she pulled the feces from his rectum with her hands. Heroes abound now in White Bear Lake, visible and proud of their roles in unraveling the mystery of Dennis death. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Rekdahl expressed some concern. To the casual observer, the Jurgens seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. Lois is survived by her. Donna Neely wondered, as she studied the Jurgenses now-silent house from her front window. . Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens (August 12, 1925 May 7, 2013) was an American convicted murderer[1] responsible for one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. . They had seen Lois yank Dennis violently by the ears. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. undefined Notes ^ http://www.angelizdsplace.com/ http://www.angelizdsplace.com/child43.htm. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. she grew up and attended school in malvern, graduating in 1947. lois attended cosmetology school in des moines, iowa. 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 (born 1925) is an American convicted murderer. You couldnt get action from the prosecutor and police. Make sure that the file is a photo. They talked with more than a dozen relatives and neighbors of the Jurgenses. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. We wanted to tell someone, she said. 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. 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. At this time there are a number of persons yet to be contacted who supposedly have information and are relatives of the family, Korolchuk wrote on Thursday, April 15, four days after the death. Nonetheless, when Harold Jurgens called three days later and asked when they could get their boy, Rekdahl and the Scott County officials allowed the Jurgenses to take Dennis for a preplacement visit. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Deferred, Votel had written. 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. Star Tribune photo by Donald Black. Lois had had a history of mental illnesses including depression and psychosis and was originally deemed .
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