I thought the burn accident was a weird story when she told it, but again, there just was not that level of awareness, things didnt get referred. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. You couldnt get action from the prosecutor and police. With the exception of the severe burns, his health remained quite good. VanderWyst, visiting him after the autopsy the night of Dennis death, told the family physician what Woodburn had found. Harold and Lois Jurgensa middle-class, churchgoing couple who had been unable to have children of their ownhad adopted Sherwoods son, Dennis, in 1962. My deputy reassured me from time to time.

 

. Lois Jurgens Obituary (1930 - 2012) - Elkhorn, Wi, IA - the Des Moines 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. . Those in the station familiar with the downtown strip joints in nearby St. Paul might have recognized Jerry Ann Sherwood from her earlier tenure at Alarys Club Bar. Thanks for your help! There was a television movie broadcast in 1992 on NBC entitled A Child Lost Forever that told the story from the perspective of Jerry Sherwood (played by Beverly D'Angelo).

 

He was an outgoing child, as happy and adjusted as could be expected under the circumstances. Lois also was not pleased to learn how active Dennis was. Lois is survived by her. On bare skin, the heat just flashes off. They said it was from a fall down the basement stairs. Three-year-old Dennis Craig (Puckett) Jurgens was tortured to death in the wee hours of April 11th, 1965. 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. DC artist Dan Jurgens shares an image of an unused Electric Blue Superman design from 1996, reminiscing about what might have been. . There was a time when White Bear Lake was an exclusive watering hole for people from Chicago as well as the Twin Cities. With Lois's mental health deteriorating, a hearing explores the question, should Lois and Harold Jurgens keep custody of their 5 year old adopted son, Robert after the death of this brother, Dennis. conviction
A Death in White Bear Lake is a true crime book by journalist Barry Siegel, published in 1990, which recounts the murder of Dennis Jurgens. A Death in White Bear Lake: The True Chronicle of an All-American Town By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. She grew up and attended school in Malvern, graduating in 1947. Published by Bantam Books, 1990.
She was the adoptive mother of six children in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutally abused them all, killing one of them, 3-year-old Dennis Jurgens, in 1965. Brand New. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard.
Eventually, all four of the siblings from Kentucky and Robert escaped the home by running away and getting help from concerned neighbors.

 

 

Petersons house sat precisely on the site of the old Wildwood Amusement Park. Do you have a camera in the car, he asked VanderWyst. No, Lois said, sounding definite. None of us knew about child abuse. The neighbors talked among themselves that afternoon. The same day that she spoke to the priest--Aug. 30, 1962--Rekdahl informed the Jurgenses that they were going to be approved for a second adoption. Year should not be greater than current year. Its easy today to say, Why didnt they prosecute? but it was a different time, a different time. Jurgens was the only fatal victim of Lois Jurgens, his adoptive mother and a prolific child abuser, who abused a total of six adopted children from 1960 to 1975. This is a carousel with slides. The foster mother thinks him a little wild one, but she means this appreciatively and derives pleasure from his antics. He does not sound very well behaved, she said. Rekdahl, who graduated from St. Pauls Hamline University in 1957 with a bachelors degree in social work, had been in adoption services for less than one year. There is a lot to be known about the science of this whole darn subject, he said. According to Rekdahls written log, that was the sum of what Peterson said to her. The coroner noted in his report that Dennis had almost zero subcutaneous fat, at the level of a person who had died of starvation. Lois Jurgens, know for her short, volatile temper, murdered him. Failed to remove flower. Last week, Judge David Marsden sentenced. That this was much more a question for doctors than for the police did not sway Votel. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. BOOK WORLD - The Washington Post Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Now the town is most frequently described as middle class. Read more about this topic: Murder Of Dennis Jurgens, But Ive heard mankind abuse thee;And perhaps its rather strange,But I thought that I would choose theeFor encomium, as a change.Charles Stuart Calverley (18311884), Mily: You must remember me! They had checked on him throughout the night. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Do I think this happened just here, just this one? Tragically, just a few years after the adoption, Dennis died from peritonitis. My God, he thought, looking at the body. 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. The first came now. In the 1960s, the term child abuse had not yet been coined[citation needed][2] and no one, not even medical professionals and teachers, was required to report suspicions. Throughout the years of frequent abuse, it has been reported that while Harold Jurgens made little effort to curb his wife's abuse of young Dennis, he personally never mistreated the boy. Sorry! Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens to show support. Lois Jurgens agreed, but seemed scared that she would not be offered another child. Certain neighbors and family members knew there were problems with Lois' treatment of Dennis but did nothing to prevent it. Try again later. harold e bageant obituary visitation funeral information. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Their flight, coupled with the lingering suspicions surrounding Dennis' death, resulted in the termination of Lois and Harold Jurgens' parental rights. In the early 1980s, Dennis' birth mother, Jerry Sherwood, looked for Dennis, only to find out he had died in 1965. There was no possibility that Dennis had died from a blow to the head. Searching him out, she discovers he died at 3 1/2, though the death certificate does not show what killed him. I felt we actually checked out the concerns quite carefully.. Lois, who abused Dennis constantly, escalated to new levels of rage as the flood waters filled her basement. To the casual observer, the Jurgens seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. She knew the agencys policy was not to place children with couples who were over 40, an age they were approaching. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. There was a large, swollen scrape on the forehead. 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 Lois Jurgens (August 12, 1925 March 7, 2013) | World Biographical Over the course of several visits to the Jurgens home, Rekdahl saw the matter differently. Murder of Dennis Jurgens - Abuse at The Hands of Lois Jurgens Dennis Craig Jurgens - Wikipedia Article | Pound Pup Legacy April 11, 1965. As the laws were then interpreted, he believed that he would have to link a specific action taken by Lois Jurgens to the precise cause of death. A piano and bass fiddle occupied the living room. When it froze, hed hang lights on the seven surrounding elm trees, put out snow sculptures of bears and seals tinted with food coloring, and invite all the neighborhood kids to join his own two children in skating and hockey games. There were at least a dozen bruises on the face alone, some large and others small. SEARCH FOR SON GETS AN ABUSE CASE CLOSED - Chicago Tribune You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Please enter your email and password to sign in. ``You have to understand this child is only 3 1/2 years old and virtually every day Lois Jurgens had him he was a victim of some kind of physical or mental abuse, and I dont think eight years was quite enough to compensate society for the act she committed, Robinson said. Lois Jurgens reaction to Dennis during the visit was less than enthusiastic. Retired now for several years, he suffers from angina and does not go out much, but he recalls the 1965 hearing. Want more true crime books? Jurgens was the only fatal victim of Lois Jurgens, his adoptive mother and a prolific child abuser, who abused a total of six adopted children from 1950 to 1970.

 

Now VanderWyst was looking at him, asking a question: What was the cause of death?. However, he was in failing health and his autopsy results did not indicate poisoning. Try again later. Barry Siegels chilling true crime book, A Death in White Bear Lake, chronicles the chilling case of a family from a picturesque town in Minnesota, and the cover up of a horrific crime that lasted for 20 years. During the early morning hours of April 11, 1965, Dennis Jurgens died at the hands of Lois Jurgens. There was a problem getting your location. so its not unusual.. There is some suspicion that Lois Jurgens herself set the fire, given that it occurred while Robert was hospitalized, and that Lois had been known to threaten burning down the homes of several neighbors and family members who had spoken to authorities. It was harder to believe that Dennis had been awake and talking normally an hour and a half before he died. For a time, that appeared to be the end of the story. When Dennis cried, Lois would force his head under the cold water faucet at the kitchen sink. Weve updated the security on the site.   Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Thirty years later, writer and artist Dan Jurgens is revisiting the storyline that gripped the world. When he wouldnt have a bowel movement, she said, she pulled the feces from his rectum with her hands. According to reports from family members who eventually testified at the murder trial, Dennis turned purple from being force-fed the bitter and spicy horseradish and also having his oxygen supply cut off when Jurgens covered his mouth and nose. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Murder of Dennis Jurgens - After The Murder In spite of extensive physical evidence pointing towards severe . I had doubts, and I didnt like Lois, but I felt I couldnt react personally like that, she said. No prosecution was taken at that time. Jerry took her case to the White Bear Lake police department and then to the local media. One might get a first impression that Lois was cold and indifferent, but to Rekdahl, this seemed a defense for insecurities. Lois Jurgens (born 1925) is an American convicted murderer. Lois Jurgens at the time that she had custody of Dennis. As he read, he stiffened in his chair. Dennis lay in the ground at St. Marys Cemetery, no name given to his death. Their investments and savings totaled $2,200. DEATH OF SUPERMAN 30TH ANNIVERARY SPECIAL- 1:100 JURGENS & BREEDING FOIL VARIANT. VanderWyst and Korolchuk had brought in the file themselves and lobbied for prosecution. None.. Dan Jurgens, one of the chief minds at DC who spearheaded the Man of Steel's death and rebirth in the '90s, took to Twitter to share an unused design of Electric Superman -- sometimes called . Building a general history of abusive conduct would not be sufficient. While he waited for the coroners investigator to arrive, he asked Lois Jurgens if there was anything he could do--such as take Robert to his own home, to be cared for by his wife. . In 1984, Jurgens was the artist for the Sun Devils limited series (July 1984 - June 1985), with writers Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas. When the wind was up, Peterson would take out his sixteen-foot sailboat and glide toward Manitou Island and the town of White Bear. Did the doctor remember his thoughts on why this child died, his inner feelings that day? Instead the judge agonized, repeatedly expressing from the bench his sense of conflict and uncertainty. At the hearing a month later, Peterson was asked whether he saw anything unusual as he viewed the body in the crib.

VanderWyst drove the mile to his house in silence, the young boy sitting beside him. Aside from the incident when Dennis was hospitalized with burns on his genitals, there were many other incidents of abuse that fell under the category of sexual sadism. When Dennis messed his bed, she said, she forced the boy to eat his feces. Peterson did not give us any conclusive answers about the condition of Dennis or about his death, VanderWyst wrote in his report for that night. She thought Dennis too aggressive, his wild behavior quite unlike Roberts. 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. This drove Lois further into madness, as she felt she needed children to complete the "perfect picture" of her life. The Jurgenses were delighted. No, she explained. That isnt an issue at all. Four days after he drafted this analysis, on April 30, he and VanderWyst were pulled off the case. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks Break Down Young Jon Kent's Return in Lois Lois Jurgens served only eight years of her sentence, released early for good behavior, and lived a secluded life in Stillwater, Minnesota, until her death in 2013. Lois Jurgens Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information He would testify that he had been suspicious enough to call the welfare department. But neither the judge nor anyone else was willing to face the implications of such findings. Try again later. The Jurgenses returned to their house on Gardenette Drive, childless but free of any charge. This browser does not support getting your location. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Dennis nose was blood-red--VanderWyst thought it looked as if you just wiped it once more youd probably take the rest of the skin away. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. How could a kid fall down the steps and die? Problems arose within the police department as well. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Death of Superman By Jurgens, TPB, DC Comics 1993, New, Sealed. Its not unusual, the doctor said. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Jurgens, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. .. The first few days of the police investigation by VanderWyst and Sgt.

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. Years later, Peterson would say much the same to the police who were reopening the case, but he did not do so in 1965. Dennis was adopted by the Jurgens, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, a suburb of Saint Paul: Harold Robert Jurgens, a former bandleader turned electrician, and Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens, a homemaker.