. Lois had grown up in an impoverished family of sixteen siblings and used her marriage to the middle-class Harold Jurgens as a means to improve her social standing. VanderWyst was not close social friends with the Jurgenses, but he knew them well enough to greet them on the street. If hes notified there would be fifty people at her house, and she didnt want that many people around. ``There is no justice. 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. At that time, the battered-child syndrome was just beginning to be recognized. Add to your scrapbook. Lois and Harold Jurgens lived in a comfortable, meticulously maintained three-bedroom house with a big, fenced backyard on a large corner lot on Gardenette Drive. . 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). Strange, he thought, that she hadnt called her brother, the police lieutenant. Though the specific cause of that fatal blow is not known, it is known that it was Lois who had given it to Dennis. He would later learn much more, would attend seminars and organize a county task force on the problem, but it cannot be said that Gingold knew nothing in 1965 about the battered-child syndrome. Yes! We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. 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. Robert was returned to the Jurgens home and, going through new channels, the couple was eventually able to adopt four school-aged siblings from Kentucky.

 

She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. The word homicide remained unspoken. I was young then, just out of college, the social worker said recently in an interview. She was predeceased by : her parents, Leslie Stowell and Margaret Stowell.

He could never forget how Lois Jurgens looked at those photos stoically, showing no emotion. The chief one involved the nature of the malady that killed Dennis.

They owned a 1963 Chevrolet pickup and a 1960 Falcon station wagon. Donna Mae, about 5 feet away, watched in horror as Lois force-fed that vomit to him, made him eat it. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. For a time, that appeared to be the end of the story. Other than that, nothing remarkable..

The case drew widespread publicity and was the subject of a book and a made-for-television movie. 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. Building a general history of abusive conduct would not be sufficient.
The threat of a criminal prosecution is way by the boards now.
The case is described in detail in Barry Siegel's true-crime novel, A Death in White Bear Lake. Top Rated Seller. Other testimony and evidence was more troubling. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Camille Brass knew the blue convertible belonged to Dr. Peterson. Lois Jurgens had not one good thing to say about Dennis. To the casual observer, the Jurgens' seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. The coroner noted there was evidence of adult, human bite marks on his penis and scarring all over his scrotum; he was also found to be wearing two diapers and a pair of rubber pants at the age of three and one-half years. It had always troubled her, more than any she handled before or since. Dennis Craig Jurgens (December 6, 1961 - April 11, 1965) was an American 3-year-old boy who was murdered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota in April 1965. And it was not my position to do anything other than to pronounce him dead.. The neighbors talked among themselves that afternoon. No, Lois said, sounding definite. From behind their curtains and blinds, the Jurgenses neighbors on Gardenette Drive had been watching the comings and goings all morning with mounting interest. In 1965, it was a private general practitioner, Dr. Thomas Votel, who handled the coroners duties on a part-time basis for $6,300 a year. However, he was in failing health and his autopsy results did not indicate poisoning. After seeing newspaper reports about the death, she was convinced that he had been beaten to death and demanded the case be re-opened. Villains also abound, but they remain less noticed. The psychiatrist also observed that Lois had an obsession about order and cleanliness. Still, she had never forgotten the case. SHAKOPEE, Minn. (AP) _ A mother who beat her adopted son to death and then covered up the crime for two decades was released from prison today after serving eight years. Lois Jurgens at the time that she had custody of Dennis. As it happened, Peterson at the time was deputy coroner in Ramsey County. You see, Gingold said, I didnt have to go that far. . Adopted just after his first birthday, Dennis suffered years of abuse at the hands of his adoptive mother, Lois Jurgens. Lois Jurgens, 62, of Stillwater, chewed gum impassively as the jury announced its verdict, finding her guilty of third-degree murder in the 1965 death of her adopted son, Dennis. #dennisjurgens #jerrysherwood #truecrime Jerry Puckett's mother abandoned her when she was three, she was raised by her father and abused by two stepmothers.. On the other hand, he could not bring himself to embrace the notion that Lois Jurgens was a murderer. There was enough evidence to sustain child abuse and neglect charges. The next morning, six coroners jurors were asked to view the body of a dead boy, and to remember everything they saw. . Her mother having long ago disappeared, Jerry Puckett had bounced among assorted relatives and county homes for girls. Aside from the incident when Dennis was hospitalized with burns on his genitals, there were many other incidents of abuse which fell under the category of sexual sadism. I did my best.. Sadly, the mother-son reunion was not meant to be; Jerry's child had died just before his fourth birthday. The coroner noted there was evidence of adult human bite marks on his penis, and scarring all over his scrotum; he was also found to be wearing two diapers and a pair of rubber pants at the age of 3+12 years. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. Many years later, asked in court how this placement was approved, Rekdahl--by then a psychotherapist and psychiatric social worker in Napa, Calif., remarried and using the name Gerane Wharton-Park--said: We finally had really no exacting reasons why we could turn this family down. My biggest feeling was that it was a sad situation and I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. Paul Lindholm, the assistant county attorney, considered it. This is a carousel with slides. He was shaken. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. It would have been difficult at the time to prove that Lois Jurgens had committed murder. He had one great friend, his world's Lois, but she died and now he sees another version of her still alive and pregnant. It was as if the authorities had found a way to try Lois Jurgens for Dennis death without calling it a murder. This was a murder. Stanley Wiatros was one of them. Years later, Peterson would say much the same to the police who were reopening the case, but he did not do so in 1965. When he wouldnt have a bowel movement, she said, she pulled the feces from his rectum with her hands. Harold Jurgens, an electrical foreman, made $10,000 in 1962, and this placed his family a cut above many of their friends and neighbors.
From the patio off his living room and the balcony off his bedroom, he could look across the lake to Manitou Island, and beyond, to the town of White Bear. remarkable Beverly D'Angelo as Jerry Sherwood
Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Jurgens' other adopted son, Robert, testified at the trial, at which Lois Jurgens (then in her 60s) was convicted of third-degree murder and sentenced to prison.[4]. We didnt believe it was possible in nice, middle-class suburban families.. His intensely angry adoptive mother, Lois Jurgens, know for her short, volatile temper, murdered him. 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. Clothing retains the heat. He was the son of teenage Jerry Sherwood (who was herself a ward of the state) and her teenage boyfriend. The hole had allowed a fifth of a quart of infectious, purulent fecal material to flow into the abdominal cavity. Deferred, Votel had written. ). Votel could not take the first step. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. The prosecutor had a different attitude back then, Votel said recently. Dennis Craig Jurgens (December 6, 1961 - April 11, 1965) was an American 3-year-old boy who was murdered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota in April 1965. On April 26, Korolchuk drafted an analysis of the information they had gathered.

 

and Judith Ivey as Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Jurgens, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. The St. Paul Pioneer Press ran a cover story about the investigation on Sunday, October 12, 1986.

In 1992 A made-for-TV movie was made based on both Jerry's story and this case called, ' A Child Lost Forever ' w/ the remarkable Beverly D'Angelo as Jerry Sherwood and Judith Ivey as Lois Jurgens. She always proclaimed her innocence.

 

At the urging of authorities, Jerry placed Dennis for adoption after being told that he would receive good care.[1]. Its kind of hard to believe., ``How can you take a babys life like that and beat it for two years and then walk free? she said. He assured that it was going on, that this would be his responsibility to get the information, bring it back to me so I could complete the certificate. She did not want this to influence their decision, but in all truthfulness, that was the reality. Judge Gingold would not back down either. He was frequently starved, to rid him of "sloppy fat," as Lois called it (she also called him "Sloppy Fat" as a nickname). . Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. The official cause of death was Peritonitis due to perforation of the small bowel. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Lois Jurgens (134346102)? Beatings and displays of Lois' explosive temper were daily events; especially bad days could include her slamming a child's forehead into a nail protruding from a wall, forcing a child to stand barefoot in snow, and shoving a used sanitary napkin in a child's face. She knew that Lois had finished only the eighth grade. Still it is fair to say that the story Lois Jurgens told required a considerable imagination to embrace. 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. I would also like to receive the Early Bird Books newsletter which features great deals on FREE and discounted ebooks. How in the heck could that happen? Notification of death or terminal illness, Office of Revisor of Statues . Search above to list available cemeteries.

Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965.

It was highly unlikely that a fall on a flat surface could have caused this. I was willing to wait. Votel was still waiting about two years later, when he retired from office. roger w. tufte sr. was born on march 22, 1945 in lakota, nd the son of clarence and esther (johnson. Father Bernard Riser of the St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church had known the Jurgenses for years and considered them to be among his parishs best families. Robert was leaving things alone at the age of 1 year.

 

There was no possibility that Dennis had died from a blow to the head, and scarce chance that he had died from a fall on the flat basement floor. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens was an American convicted murderer. Harvey had been a rookie cop here in 1965, but Sherwoods story triggered no memories. No. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Lt. Clarence (Buzz) Harvey at first did not know what to make of the blonde 42-year-old woman who appeared at the front desk of this towns solitary police station on the morning of Sept. 18, 1986. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? I was not trained in mental illness. It was just inconceivable to Woodburn that Dennis had been so injured by slipping and falling on a basement floor. Resend Activation Email. Jerry Puckett was a Protestant by background, but at the time Dennis was born she was intending to take instruction in the Roman Catholic faith. The just announced 80-page Death of Superman 30 th Anniversary Special will find Superman, his friends and his family revisiting his death, while dealing with a destructive new threat known as Doombreaker. Try again later. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Our kids have fallen down steps and not died. In spite of extensive physical evidence pointing towards severe abuse, the medical examiner did not classify the death under any of the standard classifications of accident, suicide or murder; he simply marked it "deferred". Others promised that they would do so. The roller coaster had been just to the west of his lot, the water slide just to the east, and the dance pavilion exactly where his house now stood, the old foundation still there below his lawn and patio. In a town like White Bear Lake, apparently no one thought it problematic that the assistant police chief, Lt. Jerome Zerwas, was Lois Jurgens brother. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. 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. There is a problem with your email/password. The policeman did not, so they carried the body to the coroners van. If you throw up, you are going to eat it. . It did not occur to him to question Robert. Harold (Harry) Jurgens, 76 of Filley passed away at Gold Crest Retirement Center in Adams on January 7, 2018. Jurgens was one of 16 children. On the night of his death, Lois was in an extremely bad mood due to flooding which was filling up the basement with water. charles edward ed holland memorial park funeral homes and cemeteries. Rekdahl was developing real doubts about this placement, but the Jurgenses decided to go see Dennis that afternoon. Sherwood's tenacity, along with the tragedy of her personal loss, kept the story in the public eye. It is fair to say that this finding raised considerable questions. There was a problem getting your location. And a Dr. Peterson called at 10:09 a.m. to report a DOA--dead on arrival--at 2148 Gardenette Drive. Dennis was lying face up in his crib, his stiffened arms raised eight inches off the bed. This sort of thing happened back then.. Donohue was not inclined to relax such controls. This account has been disabled. There was testimony from other officers that he impeded the investigation into the child's death. child abuse law.

She also describes him as a clown, always laughing at himself or other people when they are around. Try again. Tragically, just a few years after the adoption, Dennis died from peritonitis. 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. A dead boy, though, was something else. DEATH OF SUPERMAN 30TH ANNIVERARY SPECIAL- 1:100 JURGENS & BREEDING FOIL VARIANT. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where she lived at the time. Lois had had a history of mental illnesses including depression and psychosis and was originally deemed . I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Death 7 May 2013 (aged 87) . The first few days of the police investigation by VanderWyst and Sgt. It is not known specifically what caused the fatal blow, though the injury was later found to have been, beyond a reasonable doubt, inflicted by Lois Jurgens owing to evidence of her constant physical abuse. Brand New. 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. It looked to her as if the roses were placed there to cover up the dark blue markings.   She committed one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. They carried assorted life insurance polices worth $10,000. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. As he viewed the body, he thought: This boy has been murdered. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota.