In 1888, Sarah Cook, a white woman residing in Chicago, Illinois, became one of the early victims of the infamous serial killer H. H. Holmes. Sarah was married to Frank Cook, who had moved into Holmes's building, known as "The Castle," earlier that year. Holmes, whose real name was Herman Webster Mudgett, was present at their wedding and even lived with the couple for a time, establishing a close relationship with them.
Sarah's niece, Mary Haracamp, also came to Chicago and was employed by Holmes as a stenographer. At some point, both Sarah and Mary discovered Holmes in the process of disposing of a previous victim. Fearing exposure, Holmes confined both women in his vault and coerced them into writing letters to Frank Cook, stating they were leaving him and would not return. Subsequently, Holmes murdered both women. Sarah was pregnant at the time, making her unborn child another victim of Holmes's crimes.
Holmes's crimes were eventually uncovered, leading to his arrest in 1894. He confessed to 27 murders, though some of these confessions were later found to be false or unverified. Holmes was convicted for the murder of his associate Benjamin Pitezel and was executed by hanging on May 7, 1896, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
