Lyda Catherine Ambrose
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.
She turned to Twin Falls, Idaho, where she got
involved with the owner of the restaurant she worked for as a
waitress. They got married and soon after their wedding on June 10 in
1919, the hapless man dropped dead from "stomach ulcers".
Unfortunately for his wife he had forgotten to sign his life insurance
documents and hence left her nothing to collect.
The third husband was soon found and died three
months after they exchanged wedding bows. This time though his
insurance policy was signed and Ambrose collected approximately
$10,000 for her husbands untimely death.
She married husband number four on October 16 in
1920. He passed away about a month later and left Lyda Catherine
Ambrose
$12,000.
The police began the investigate and once her
cottage was searched, authorities found a large amount of
old-fashioned arsenic-laced flypaper. Toxicology tests on her late
husbands revealed heavy doses of the poison in their remains. The
police arrested Ambrose in Oakland, California and returned her to
Idaho where she had killed her most recent victim. By 1931, she was
convicted of first degree murder and was given life. She managed to
escape from the Idaho state prison, but was recaptured in Kansas City
in 1932. She died in jail of old age.
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