A mother’s search for the son she gave up uncovers terrifying secrets in a Minnesota town in this “masterfully depicted true-crime tale” (Publishers Weekly). In 1962, Jerry Sherwood gave up her newborn son, Dennis, for adoption. Twenty years later, she set out to find him–only to discover he had died before his fourth birthday. The immediate cause was peritonitis, but the coroner had never … but the coroner had never decided the mode of death, writing “deferred” rather than indicate accident, natural causes, or homicide. This he did even though the autopsy photos showed Dennis covered from head to toe in ugly bruises, his clenched fists and twisted facial expression suggesting he had died writhing in pain.
Harold and Lois Jurgens, a middle-class, churchgoing couple in picturesque White Bear Lake, Minnesota, had adopted Dennis and five other foster children. To all appearances, they were a normal midwestern family, but Jerry suspected that something sinister had happened in the Jurgens household. She demanded to know the truth about her son’s death.
Why did authorities dismiss evidence that marked Dennis as an endangered child? Could Lois Jurgens’s brother, a local police lieutenant, have interfered in the investigation? And most disturbing of all, why had so many people who’d witnessed Lois’s brutal treatment of her children stay silent for so long? Determined to find answers, local detectives and prosecutors rebuilt the case brick by brick, finally exposing the shocking truth behind a nightmare in suburbia.
A finalist for the Edgar Award, A Death in White Bear Lake is “a distinguished entry in the annals of crime documentary,” and a vivid portrait of the all-American town that harbored a sadistic killer (The Washington Post).
more
This is a true story of a two woman and one dead child. One is the birth mother. One is the adoptive mother. One mother seeks to find the truth about why her child died at age two, and why it was never investigated. The other woman’s actions are concealed behind a large family, law enforcement and a small Minnesota town that didn’t believe there was such a thing as “child abuse”. It reveals how adoption agencies, child protective services, social workers, neighbors, and a parish priest missed all the clues to the fact that this adoptive mother was mentally disturbed & 100% unfit to have children. This book will make every reader be more alert and aware of “child abuse” and neglect. This book will also encourage anyone who seeks justice against all odds.
I loved this book. It made you mad and sad at the same time. I was very happy with the outcome, even though it took many years
Way too many unnecessary details that were unrelated to the case. Should have been half the length it was. Once I got past the useless first 1/4 though, the story was good.
Just not a page turner and not written well.
I never read this type of book. It was sad. It was also very informative about when child abuse was a serious crime. Apparently before the 70’s it was not.
I don’t normally care for a lot of detail. This book has it and sets the stage with a great deal of historical narrative that I Would normally find tiring and likely would gloss over it, For whatever reason this is an exception. Very readable and held my interest. Once into the heart of the story which does need to historical narrative, in my opinion, to be fully understood, I loved it. It held my attention and I have the attention span of a gnat. For me, it worked!
Eye opening story of child abuse and how it went unpunished. Sad.
This book gave me a great education on the history of recognizing child abuse and the way our laws changed as we better understood the problem. It was long and contained some historical prospective which I thought was unnecessary. But I really enjoyed the book.
Perseverance pays off.
This book made me realize that not every child who is adopted is lucky enough to find a loving home and also just how helpless children are when they find themselves in a bad situation.
I found the book somewhat boring and predictable and frustrating that this loser of a woman got away with so many murders.
Had to read this since I lived in White Bear Lake. Had no idea this true story was happening while I was there. Then to actually know some of the people mentioned in the book was so surprising.
I am a huge fan of true crime and this book didnt disappoint!! I was taken back to a not so great time in our past. Our mental health systems have come so far in the last 50 years!! Lois was a very unlikeable person who desperately needed help!! The fact that her family knew something was wrong and did nothing makes me so angry!! The writing was great in this book! I will definately look for others books by Barry Siegel
This is an amazing true story of a child abuse case before we knew what that was. Written in a documentary style, I found it engaging, gut-wrenching, and a page turner. It is a long book, but worth the read.
Way too much about White Bear Lake, pages that could have been just effective as paragraphs. The horror of this story is that many people knew what was occurring! A very sad book.
Good writing. Very interesting even all these years after the crime. I liked learning about the evolution of reporting on child abuse and how battered child syndrome came to be recognized.
Hard to believe that a person could be so cruel to a child. So many people looked the other way and a child paid. That she got away with it for so many years is sad. If the birth mother wouldn’t of started asking questions justice never would of happened.
Great journalistic approach – an exciting read though not for the squeamish.
Excellent word master.
I have been hooked on True Crime for decades, and this is definitely one of my top five true crime books to read. I’ve read it several times, and it’s always poignant and moving.