Lyda Catherine Southard

Serial Killer

Lyda Southard: The Suspected Serial Poisoner Known as "Flypaper Lyda"

Lyda Southard, better known during much of her early life as Lyda Trueblood, became one of the most notorious women in Idaho criminal history after a remarkable succession of deaths occurred among her husbands and immediate family between 1915 and 1920. She was suspected of poisoning four husbands, her brother-in-law, and her young daughter with arsenic, apparently with financial gain through life insurance as a major motive. Although six deaths were eventually associated with her, Southard was criminally tried and convicted for only one: the murder of her fourth husband, Edward F. Meyer. Historical records most commonly identify her as Anna Elizabeth "Lyda" Trueblood or Lyda Anna Mae Trueblood. She was born on October 16, 1892, in Keytesville, Missouri, and later moved with her family to Idaho. The middle name "Catherine," sometimes attached to her name in modern references, is not the name most consistently found in the historical material concerning the case.

Marriage to Robert Dooley and the First Suspicious Deaths

In 1912, when she was about 19 years old, Lyda married Robert C. Dooley. They settled on a ranch near Twin Falls, Idaho, where Robert's brother, Edward "Ed" Dooley, also lived. Lyda and Robert had a daughter, Lorraine, who was born in October 1913. The Dooley household was devastated by a series of deaths during 1915. Ed Dooley became suddenly ill in August and died from what physicians believed at the time was ptomaine poisoning, an older term commonly associated with food poisoning. There initially appeared to be nothing criminal about the death. Lyda and Robert benefited from a life insurance policy associated with Ed, however, a circumstance that later became significant to investigators. Approximately two months later, Robert Dooley became seriously ill. His symptoms were attributed to typhoid fever, and he died in Twin Falls in October 1915. Some historical accounts give October 1 and others October 12 as the exact date of his death, so October 1915 is the most reliable way to state the date without presenting a disputed day as certain. Lyda received additional insurance money following Robert's death. The tragedy continued in November 1915 when little Lorraine Dooley died. Her death was also originally attributed to disease, with historical Idaho records describing the diagnosis as typhoid. Other retellings say Lyda claimed her daughter had become ill after drinking contaminated well water. Whatever explanation was accepted at the time, no murder investigation immediately followed. By the end of 1915, Ed Dooley, Robert Dooley, and Lorraine were all dead, leaving Lyda as the surviving member of the household.

William G. McHaffie

Lyda later married William G. McHaffie, whose surname is also written as McHaffle in a number of accounts. The marriage took place in the period following Robert Dooley's death, and the couple eventually moved to Hardin, Montana. McHaffie became suddenly ill and died in October 1918. His death was attributed to influenza, with some historical accounts also mentioning diphtheria. The precise day in October is inconsistent in surviving accounts, although October 1918 is well established. His death occurred during the period of the devastating 1918 influenza pandemic, making the original diagnosis appear entirely plausible at the time. McHaffie had also been insured. A later Idaho historical account states that a $5,000 policy had lapsed, preventing Lyda from collecting it. Investigators would eventually view the existence of insurance policies surrounding several of the deceased men as part of a larger pattern rather than a series of unrelated coincidences. ...

Confirmed Victims: (1)

Edward F. Meyer , Date of Death: 1920-09-07

Suspected Victims:

Robert Dooley , Date of Death: 1915-10-12

Edward Dooley , Date of Death: 1915-08

Harlen Lewis , Date of Death: 1919-06-06

Lorraine Dooley Age: (2), Date of Death: 1915

William G. McHaffie , Date of Death: 1918-10

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