Belle Gunness

So he was trying to make some money.

I remember hearing that when they unearthed Belle Gunness's hog pits, that there were people like selling ice cream and cake and postcards and stuff like just outside.

It becomes a whole thing.

I'm glad we don't do that anymore.

She said she wanted me to come and get her.

Miss Guinness sent the money for the trip and paid all the expenses.

That visit, she didn't say nothing about me helping with the farm.

It was only later that Gust realized that he and his niece were both lucky to be alive.

Budberg had grown sons who'd not been told by their father of his plans.

It took some sleuthing, But they finally figured out where their father had gone off to.

A farm in Indiana? To get married? They wrote immediately to Belgunis, and she replied.

She was so sorry for them and hated to give disappointing news, but... 1907 saw multiple middle-aged men with marriage on their minds showing up in La Porte to call on Belle.

I would like that.

Belle Gunness, she operated an Indiana farm in the early 1900s.

Authorities suspect she killed dozens of people, including her husbands and children, for insurance money.

Give me some shit like that, you know what I mean? Like the Lizzie Borden shit was wack.

You know, she'd been through some stuff.

But her nickname was Hell's Belle because Belle Gunness wasn't just some apple-cheeked matronly widow.

She is one of the worst American serial killers in history.

And she is just as sweet as pie about it.

All right.

So next time on True Weird Stuff.

We're going to tell the story of Belle Gunness, who is widely considered to be America's first female serial killer.

But, you know, we always have to remember when we're talking about serial killers, we're only talking about the ones that have gotten caught, right? Because the FBI and the DOJ, criminal forensic experts, will tell you that most don't.