A Death in White Bear Lake
Encyclopedia
A Death in White Bear Lake is a true crime
book by journalist Barry Siegel
, published in 1990. The book recounts one of the most notorious cases of child abuse
ever prosecuted in the United States
, the murder of three year-old Dennis Jurgens
by his adopted mother Lois Jurgens
. The case was significant because the murder was committed in 1965, Lois Jurgens was not charged with the crime until 1986. Lois Jurgens was convicted of murder in the third degree in 1987.
as a result of the ruptured bowel was the official cause of death, yet the officials did not classify the injury as an accident or murder, but marked the case as "deferred." It remained at that status until Jerry Sherwood (with the help of the media) demanded that the case be reopened.
Lois and Harold Jurgens (who was never charged or prosecuted with any crime, yet according to reports from the surviving children of the household rarely protected them either) had previously adopted a boy named Robert, who was spared the brunt of the abuse, but was later (as an adult) able to give testimony which led to his adoptive mother’s conviction. In spite of suspicions surrounding the death of Dennis, the Jurgens were able to adopt four school-aged siblings from Kentucky
, who suffered severe, sadistic abuse at the hands of Lois Jurgens, and eventually joined their older brother Robert in running away and contacting authorities. Lois and Harold Jurgens' parental rights, and the possibility of their adopting or fostering additional children, were eventually terminated.
The story of the adoption, the abuse and murder of Dennis Jurgens, the resulting cover-up and the mishandling of the investigation by the authorities, the extended pattern of abuse as Lois and Harold Jurgens adopted more children, and the eventual conviction of Lois Jurgens, allow author Siegel to create a mosaic that makes A Death In White Bear Lake possibly the definitive text on the realities and weaknesses of child protection in America.
Siegel's research delves into the heart of small town America, and specifically the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
. Through exhaustive interviews with witnesses to the abuse which Lois Jurgens had inflicted on Dennis (some of whom had held their silence for decades), the reader is led to understand how the abuse and murder of Dennis Jurgens was allowed to go unpunished for decades. Siegel places the case in the context of the development of child abuse law, and particularly the development of the use of battered child syndrome as a viable way to prove abuse in child murder
cases.
Book Review called it "fascinating, exhaustively documented ... a work of compelling narrative force and enduring value." The Washington Post
called it "a distinguished entry in the annals of crime documentary." FBI agent Kenneth Lanning, a specialist in child abuse investigations, declared that the book documents one of relatively few cases that can accurately be described as "ritual abuse".
True crime (genre)
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
book by journalist Barry Siegel
Barry Siegel
Barry Siegel is a former national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times who won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2002 for his piece "A Father's Pain, a Judge's Duty, and a Justice Beyond Their Reach." In 2003, University of California, Irvine recruited Siegel to chair the school's new...
, published in 1990. The book recounts one of the most notorious cases of child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
ever prosecuted in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the murder of three year-old Dennis Jurgens
Dennis Jurgens
Dennis Craig Jurgens was the most famous and only fatal victim of prolific child abuser Lois Jurgens, who abused a total of six adopted children during a period spanning the 1950s to 1970s...
by his adopted mother Lois Jurgens
Lois Jurgens
Lois Jurgens was subject of one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. She was the adoptive mother of six children in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutally abused them all, killing one of them, three-year-old Dennis Jurgens, in 1965.-Early life:Jurgens was one of 16 children...
. The case was significant because the murder was committed in 1965, Lois Jurgens was not charged with the crime until 1986. Lois Jurgens was convicted of murder in the third degree in 1987.
Plot/overview
Lois Jurgens initially escaped prosecution due to ignorance of child protection in the mid-1960s, though it is also speculated that the fact that her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was a lieutenant on the local police force also protected her. The case was reopened nearly twenty years later due the actions of Jerry Sherwood, the boy’s natural mother. Sherwood sought out her son after giving him up for adoption almost two decades earlier, only to find that he had died as a toddler. Through tenacity and research, she discovered a coroner’s report which described a child riddled with evidence of severe abuse, including multiple bruises, bite and burn marks, and a ruptured bowel - most likely caused by being hit with a blunt object. PeritonitisPeritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
as a result of the ruptured bowel was the official cause of death, yet the officials did not classify the injury as an accident or murder, but marked the case as "deferred." It remained at that status until Jerry Sherwood (with the help of the media) demanded that the case be reopened.
Lois and Harold Jurgens (who was never charged or prosecuted with any crime, yet according to reports from the surviving children of the household rarely protected them either) had previously adopted a boy named Robert, who was spared the brunt of the abuse, but was later (as an adult) able to give testimony which led to his adoptive mother’s conviction. In spite of suspicions surrounding the death of Dennis, the Jurgens were able to adopt four school-aged siblings from Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, who suffered severe, sadistic abuse at the hands of Lois Jurgens, and eventually joined their older brother Robert in running away and contacting authorities. Lois and Harold Jurgens' parental rights, and the possibility of their adopting or fostering additional children, were eventually terminated.
The story of the adoption, the abuse and murder of Dennis Jurgens, the resulting cover-up and the mishandling of the investigation by the authorities, the extended pattern of abuse as Lois and Harold Jurgens adopted more children, and the eventual conviction of Lois Jurgens, allow author Siegel to create a mosaic that makes A Death In White Bear Lake possibly the definitive text on the realities and weaknesses of child protection in America.
Siegel's research delves into the heart of small town America, and specifically the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
White Bear Lake, Minnesota
White Bear Lake is a city in Ramsey and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 23,797 at the 2010 census. The city is located on White Bear Lake, one of the largest lakes in the Minneapolis-St...
. Through exhaustive interviews with witnesses to the abuse which Lois Jurgens had inflicted on Dennis (some of whom had held their silence for decades), the reader is led to understand how the abuse and murder of Dennis Jurgens was allowed to go unpunished for decades. Siegel places the case in the context of the development of child abuse law, and particularly the development of the use of battered child syndrome as a viable way to prove abuse in child murder
Child murder
The murder of children is considered an abhorrent crime in much of the world; they are perceived within their communities and the state at large as being vulnerable, and therefore especially susceptible to abduction and murder. The protection of children from abuse and possible death often involves...
cases.
Response
The book was well-received and is considered a classic in the true crime genre . The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Book Review called it "fascinating, exhaustively documented ... a work of compelling narrative force and enduring value." The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
called it "a distinguished entry in the annals of crime documentary." FBI agent Kenneth Lanning, a specialist in child abuse investigations, declared that the book documents one of relatively few cases that can accurately be described as "ritual abuse".