This is the Most Infamous Crime Ever Commited in Indiana
Do you think you can guess the most infamous crime ever committed in Indiana? Spoiler Alert: the suspect was never found!
Nowadays, there are a lot of people who are fascinated with true crime stories. There are so many documentaries, television shows, podcasts, and even movies about infamous true crime stories. I'm sure we all know someone who is obsessed with true crime stories. Well, then I'm sure that they would like this. Heck, they might not even know this story. I didn't.
The website, 24/7 Wall St, recently found the most notorious crimes in each state. Here's how they came to their conclusions"
To find the most notorious crime in every state, 24/7 Tempo culled information from the FBI website and media sources such as Readers Digest, CNN, and the BBC. Because “most notorious” is a subjective judgment, we used editorial discretion to select crimes with particularly tragic or devastating impacts, most but not all of them involving loss of life. Every state, however, has been the site of many other horrible crimes as well.
The Most Infamous Crime in Indiana History
When you think of major true crime stories in Indiana, is there a certain one that comes to mind? Honestly, I couldn't really think of too many. In fact, the most infamous crime in Indiana's history is one that I wasn't aware of until I read about it. 24/7 Wall St says that the most infamous crime ever committed in Indiana is “Hell’s Belle," who killed perspective suitors and her children. Between 1884 and 1908, the Norwegian immigrant is believed to have slain over 40 people in Chicago, Illinois, and La Porte, Indiana, profiting from insurance claims and other scams before disappearing without a trace. It's a pretty wild story. According to 24/7 Wall St:
Belle Gunness, aka “Hell’s Belle,” immigrated to America in 1881 from Norway to find wealth. She found it, through schemes to collect insurance claims via mysterious fires and deaths, including those of her two husbands and her children. She also lured other men to her farmhouse by posting advertisements seeking suitors, but they were never seen again. When relatives began to ask questions, her farmhouse burned down, with workers uncovering the bodies of 40 victims, including chidren. A hired hand at the farm was arrested for murder and arson. He was convicted of arson, but not murder. Before he died in prison, he told police about Belle’s crimes and said the body found in the burned building was not hers. Belle had in fact planned the perfect getaway and skipped town with a stash of money from her bank accounts. She was never found and it is not known how and when she died.
Pretty wild, right? Have you ever heard of this story before? You can learn more about this true crime story by clicking here.