In 1993, breaking news in the small Northern Indiana city of LaPorte always seemed to be from Chicago or South Bend. Nothing shocking ever happened in LaPorte. With 22,000 people there was hardly a report of any serious crime that involved one of their own.

The community never worried about bad things happening, not in their quiet picturesque corner of the world.

Until March 1993.

Not since the turn of the 20th century had the city of LaPorte talked so much about murder. Back then, local mother – Belle Gunness had skipped town after burning her own property down and staging a body inside to look like her own. It was believed that over a 20 year period, she had killed both her husbands, all their children, numerous boyfriends as well as all the witnesses, an estimated 40 people in total, all for the apparent riches of life insurances.

By March 1993, nearly 100 years had passed since Belle Gunness shocked the community of LaPorte Indiana, and that spring, they were about to experience something else they weren’t prepared for.

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The Rayna Rison Memorial Scholarship

c/o Director of Music

602 F Street

La Porte, IN 46350