Emma Sarana Heppermann

Serial Killer

Emma Sarana Heppermann: The St. Charles Black Widow

Early Life

Emma Sarana Stinnett was born on June 20, 1883, in Steelville, Missouri. Little is known about her early years, but her life would later become infamous due to a series of mysterious deaths surrounding her marriages.

Marriages and Suspicious Deaths

Emma was married seven times, with five of her husbands dying under unusual circumstances. Her marriages and the associated deaths are detailed below:

• Charles Augustus Schwack (First Husband)
  • Marriage: Prior to April 25, 1910
  • Death: July 15, 1925
  • Cause: Dysentery contributed to by overheating
• Frank Joseph Bremser (Second Husband)
  • Marriage: Date unspecified
  • Death: May 12, 1931
  • Cause: Hemorrhage due to rupture of stomach lining, reportedly from a fall
• Frank Lee (Third Husband)
  • Marriage: Date unspecified
  • Outcome: Divorce (no records found to corroborate this marriage)
• Bert Lee Roberts (Fourth Husband)
  • Marriage: Date unspecified
  • Death: July 21, 1933
  • Cause: Acute gastritis and nephritis; suspected poisoning after consuming sardines
• William A. Vaughn (Fifth Husband)
  • Marriage: October 19, 1935
  • Outcome: Separated after six months; divorced in October 1937
• Aloysius A. Schneider (Sixth Husband)
  • Marriage: Date unspecified
  • Death: September 19, 1939
  • Cause: Initially unknown; later determined to be arsenic poisoning
• Anton J. Heppermann (Seventh Husband)
  • Marriage: April 1940
  • Death: May 28, 1940
  • Cause: Arsenic poisoning

Other Suspicious Deaths

• Lola May Schwack (Daughter)
  • Death: August 30, 1932
  • Cause: Pulmonary tuberculosis
• Myra King (Mother-in-law)
  • Death: March 25, 1933
  • Cause: Not specified

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Confirmed Victims: (1)

Anton J. Heppermann Age: (53), Date of Death: May 28, 1940

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Suspected Victims:

Charles Augustus Schwack Age: (50), Date of Death: July 15, 1925

Frank Joseph Bremser Age: (62), Date of Death: May 12, 1931

Lola May Schwack Age: (13), Date of Death: August 30, 1932

Myra King , Date of Death: March 25, 1933

Bert Lee Roberts Age: (40), Date of Death: July 21, 1933

Aloysius A. Schneider Age: (55), Date of Death: September 19, 1939

Emma Heppermann–St. Charles Black Widow 1940–Part I-Prologue ...

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