Della Sidel Sorenson

Serial Killer

Della Sidel Sorensen: The Nebraska Family Poisoner

Overview

Della Sidel Sorensen, whose surname was also frequently written as Sorenson, was an American serial poisoner responsible for a succession of deaths in and around Dannebrog, Nebraska, between 1918 and 1924. Born on February 16, 1897, she appeared to neighbors to be an ordinary wife and mother. Behind that outward appearance, however, members of her family and social circle repeatedly became violently ill or died after consuming food or medicine she had prepared. Sorensen eventually confessed to poisoning eight people, although some later accounts describe seven confirmed victims and question whether every death included in her confession was independently established. Her victims were overwhelmingly relatives, including her husband, her mother-in-law, young children from her extended family and children of her own. Several other people survived suspected or admitted poisoning attempts. Her preferred poison was strychnine, a highly toxic substance that could produce agonizing muscular contractions, convulsions and respiratory failure. Because the deaths occurred years apart and involved people of different ages, the pattern initially escaped detection. Illnesses among infants and young children could be attributed to natural causes, while adult deaths were not immediately connected to earlier tragedies.

The Beginning of the Poisonings

The first widely recognized victim was Viola Cooper, the infant daughter of the sister of Sorensen's first husband. Viola died on July 23, 1918, after Sorensen allegedly administered poison to her. At the time, there was no public reason to suspect that the child had been deliberately killed. The infant's death became significant only years later, when Sorensen admitted that it had been the beginning of her poisoning campaign. In 1920, Sorensen turned against members of her immediate household. Her first husband, commonly identified as Joseph or John Weldam, with the surname also written Weldman, died after being poisoned. His mother, Wilhelmina Weldam, also died from poisoning during the same general period. Surviving reports do not consistently provide exact dates for either death, making it safer to identify them only as occurring in 1920. Sorensen later described anger, resentment and a desire for revenge as motives for some of the poisonings. She reportedly claimed that arguments or perceived insults could provoke a desire to kill. Her statements also suggested that she experienced excitement or satisfaction when someone was dying and enjoyed attending funerals. These remarks contributed to the conclusion that she was suffering from severe mental illness. ...

Confirmed Victims: (0)

Nebraska serial killer poisons her first victim | July 23