Cause of death Natural Name Bertha Gifford Victims 3-17 Role Serial Killer | Span of killings 1900s–1928 Date apprehended 1928 Country USA | |
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Criminal penalty Committed to Mental Facility Died August 20, 1951, Farmington, Missouri, United States | ||
Bertha gifford investigation p1
Bertha Gifford (October 1872 – August 20, 1951) was a farmwife in rural Catawissa, Missouri during the early 1900s who was accused of murdering 17 members of the local community. Some consider her to be America's third female serial killer, behind Lydia Sherman and Jane Toppan.
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Personal life
Bertha Alice Williams Graham Gifford was born in Grubville, Missouri, the daughter of William Poindexter Williams and his wife Matilda, née Lee. She was one of 10 children. She was married to Henry Graham and this union produced one daughter, Lila. Following Graham's death, she married Eugene Gifford and they had one child, James.
Crimes
In 1928, Gifford — known in her community for her cooking skills and caring for sick neighbors and relatives — was arrested at Eureka, Missouri and charged with the murders of three people. Following the exhumation and post-mortem exams of Edward Brinley and Elmer and Lloyd Schamel, the men's bodies were found to contain large amounts of arsenic. Gifford was put on trial for their murders in Union, Missouri. Following the three-day trial, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to the Missouri State Hospital #4 (a mental institution) where she remained until her death in 1951.
Although counts vary, most historians and family members agree that Gifford actually killed at least 17 people over a period of 21 years.