Who was Belle Gunness? She was a serial killer who lived in both Illinois and Indiana around the turn of the 20th century. Her original name was Brynhild Paulsdatter Strseth and she was born in Norway in 1859. She immigrated to the US in 1881 and married her first husband a mere three years later.

After this, the crimes of Belle Gunness began. She committed insurance fraud, killed upwards of 40 people - including her own family members - and possibly faked her own death. Among the known facts about Belle Gunness is that she was an imposing woman, very tall and 250 pounds and that only one child - her second husband's daughter Swanhild - survived her clutches. At the time of her supposed death in 1908, Gunness lived on a farm in LaPorte, IN. If you're curious to learn more about her, read on to discover the truly gruesome crimes of Belle Gunness.