Background
Bertha Alice Williams Graham Gifford was born in Grubville, Missouri, the daughter of William Poindexter Williams and his wife Matilda, née Lee.
Bertha Alice Williams Graham Gifford was born in Grubville, Missouri, the daughter of William Poindexter Williams and his wife Matilda, née Lee.
Some consider her to be America"s third female serial killer, behind Lydia Sherman and Jane Toppan. 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.