May 6, 1929 Copenhagen, Denmark Baby farmer Dagmar Overby (alt. spelling: Overbye) dies in prison Baby farming was the practice of accepting children (and a small adoption fee) whose parents were unable to care for them, then killing the children for profit. The adoption fee was intended to provide food and other necessities for the… Continue reading The death of Dagmar Overby, baby farmer
Tag: Female Killers
Woman suspected of killing several family members hanged for murder of son
December 30, 1932 Pretoria, South Africa Daisy Louisa C. de Melker is hanged for the murder of her son In April 1932, De Melker, described by newspapers as “a trim, handsome little woman of 44,” was arrested for the poisoning murders of two husbands and her 20-year-old son. Her first husband, William Alfred Cowle (sometimes… Continue reading Woman suspected of killing several family members hanged for murder of son
Woman beats husband to death to attend bridge party
December 6, 1927 Perry, Ohio Velma West (21) bludgeons her husband Thomas Edward West (25) to death with a hammer and table leg when he refuses to allow her to leave for a bridge party Velma was small in stature at 5’5” (165cm) and 107lbs. (48.5kg) while Thomas was around 6 feet tall (183cm) and… Continue reading Woman beats husband to death to attend bridge party
Toni Jo Henry: first woman executed in Louisiana
November 28, 1942 Lake Charles, Louisiana Toni Jo Henry is executed in the electric chair Henry was 26 when she was executed for murder, carried out to get her husband released from his 50-year jail term. In 1940, Henry devised a plan with Harold Burks to rob a bank to fund a defense team for… Continue reading Toni Jo Henry: first woman executed in Louisiana
Woman kills 4 children, attempts suicide, leaves note claiming the children will be better off in Heaven
November 14, 2006 Elkhart, Indiana Angelica Alvarez kills her four children, ages 2 to 8, before attempting suicide Alvarez was found by her husband Fernando Valdez in the basement of their home, near the bodies of the four children. Each child had been given sleeping pills and strangled by Alvarez using her hands; at least… Continue reading Woman kills 4 children, attempts suicide, leaves note claiming the children will be better off in Heaven
