A typical "Black Widow," Lyda Catherine AMBROSE left a trail of five dead husbands and lovers in her quest for insurance policy payoffs. Born in 1891, nothing is known about her early life until 1917 when she killed her first fiancee in Keytesville, Missouri. The unfortunate man died of stomach pains after taking out a life insurance policy worth $2,500 in the name of his future bride. Not one for grieving, Lyda turned her charms on her fiancee's brother and married him a few days after his brother's death. Within three months he too died fo "stomach trouble" after taking out a $2,500 life insurance policy.
Next stop Lyda moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where she married the owner of a restaurant where she worked as a waitress. Soon after their June 10, 1918 wedding, the hapless man dropped dead dead from "stomach ulcers." Unfortunately for his wife he had forgotten to sign his life insurance documents and was unable to collect.
Soon she was onto victim number four whom she killed three months after they exchanged wedding bows. This time though his insurance policy was signed and she collected $10,000 dollars for her husband's untimely death. Not one to sit around twiddling her thumbs, she married husband number four (victim number five) on October 1920.On November 20 the man died and she collected a $12,000 insurance payment that had been purchased on october 6.
Until then police were unaware of Lyda's bad luck with her husbands. Once her cottage was searched authorities found a large amount of old-fashioned arsenic-laced flypaper. Toxicology test on her late husbands revealed heavy doses of the poison in their remains. Police arrested her in Oakland, California and returned to Idaho where she had killed her most recent victim.
Convicted of first degree murder she was given life. Always the planner, she escaped from the Idaho state prison on May 4, 1931. By 1932 she was recaptured in Kansas City in 1932 as she searched for a new husband. Nothing more is know about her asfter except that she died in jail of old age.
A typical "Black Widow," Lyda Catherine AMBROSE left a trail of five dead husbands and lovers in her quest for insurance policy payoffs. Born in 1891, nothing is known about her early life until 1917 when she killed her first fiancee in Keytesville, Missouri. The unfortunate man died of stomach pains after taking out a life insurance policy worth $2,500 in the name of his future bride. Not one for grieving, Lyda turned her charms on her fiancee's brother and married him a few days after his brother's death. Within three months he too died fo "stomach trouble" after taking out a $2,500 life insurance policy.
Next stop Lyda moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where she married the owner of a restaurant where she worked as a waitress. Soon after their June 10, 1918 wedding, the hapless man dropped dead dead from "stomach ulcers." Unfortunately for his wife he had forgotten to sign his life insurance documents and was unable to collect.
Soon she was onto victim number four whom she killed three months after they exchanged wedding bows. This time though his insurance policy was signed and she collected $10,000 dollars for her husband's untimely death. Not one to sit around twiddling her thumbs, she married husband number four (victim number five) on October 1920.On November 20 the man died and she collected a $12,000 insurance payment that had been purchased on october 6.
Until then police were unaware of Lyda's bad luck with her husbands. Once her cottage was searched authorities found a large amount of old-fashioned arsenic-laced flypaper. Toxicology test on her late husbands revealed heavy doses of the poison in their remains. Police arrested her in Oakland, California and returned to Idaho where she had killed her most recent victim.
Convicted of first degree murder she was given life. Always the planner, she escaped from the Idaho state prison on May 4, 1931. By 1932 she was recaptured in Kansas City in 1932 as she searched for a new husband. Nothing more is know about her asfter except that she died in jail of old age. |
