Louise Vermilya

Serial Killer

Louise Vermilya: The Alleged Chicago Arsenic Poisoner

Overview

Louise Vermilya was an American woman suspected of poisoning a succession of husbands, children, relatives, boarders, and acquaintances in Illinois between the 1890s and 1911. Newspapers portrayed her as a "black widow" poisoner after investigators connected her to an extraordinary number of sudden deaths. Authorities ultimately examined at least nine deaths associated with her, although the precise number of people she may have killed remains uncertain. Vermilya was charged in connection with two deaths and tried for one, but she was never convicted of murder. Much of the case against her was circumstantial, and several of the deaths had initially been attributed to ordinary illnesses. For that reason, she is more accurately described as a suspected serial killer rather than a legally proven one.

Early Life and Marriage

Louise was born Louesa Woolf in Illinois in July 1868. She was the daughter of Prussian immigrants and grew up in a large family. On April 2, 1885, when she was approximately sixteen years old, she married Fred Brinkamp. The couple lived on a farm near Barrington, Illinois, and had several children. A troubling pattern of deaths began developing within the Brinkamp household. Fred Brinkamp died following a brief illness during the 1890s. His death was initially attributed to natural causes, commonly reported as heart trouble or a stomach-related illness. Louise reportedly received approximately $5,000 from his life insurance policy. Two young daughters, Cora and Florence Brinkamp, also died while still children. Their deaths did not immediately generate a criminal investigation. At the time, childhood mortality remained relatively common, and doctors frequently diagnosed fatal illnesses without the laboratory testing available in later decades. ...

Confirmed Victims: (0)
Suspected Victims:

Fred Brinkamp , Date of Death: 1893

Cora Brinkamp , Date of Death: 1893

Florence Brinkamp , Date of Death: 1889

Harry G. Vermilya , Date of Death: 1904-09-26

An infant member of the Brinkamp family , Date of Death: 1906-01-11

Lillian Brinkamp Age: (26), Date of Death: 1906-01-21

Charles Vermilya , Date of Death: 1909-08-01

Jason Rupert , Date of Death: 1910-01-17

Frank Brinkamp Age: (23), Date of Death: 1910-10-30

Richard T. Smith , Date of Death: 1911-03-11

Arthur F. Bissonette Age: (26), Date of Death: 1911-10

Louise Vermilya - Wikipedia