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Killing Spree of Nannie Doss
Starting in 1927 with the death of two of her children and ending in 1954 with the death of her husband, Samuel Doss, Nannie Doss killed eleven people before being caught by police. -
Train Injury
At the age of seven, Nannie Doss fell forward while on a train and her head collided with the floor. For years to follow, she suffered with depression, headaches, and blackouts. -
Charley Braggs
While working at a linen factory, Nannie Doss met and eventually married Samuel Doss. -
First Deaths
Shortly after the birth of Nannie and Samuel Doss's fourth child, the two middle children mysteriously died of 'food poisoning'. Suspecting her, Samuel moved out with the oldest child, Melvina, and left Nannie with his mother and the youngest child. His mother died soon after he left. -
Frank Harrelson
Doss, 24, and Harrelson, 23, got married soon after meeting and after sixteen years, Harrelson died. The death was never admitted to by Nannie Doss. -
Melvina's second child.
Doss's oldest daughter, Melvina, had a child in 1943 and another in 1945. The second child, however, died shortly after of unknown causes. Melvina vaguely remembered watching her mother stick a hatpin in the head of the infant as Melvina faded in and out of conciousness. -
Melvina's son, Robert.
On July 7, 1945, Doss was taking care of Melvina's son, Robert, because Doss and Melvina had an argument over Doss's disapproval of Melvina's boyfriend. That night, Robert died in his sleep of asphyxia. Doss collected $500 dollars on an insurance policy she had placed on the boy. -
Frank Harrelson dies.
On September 15, 1945, Harrelson became ill and died. Doss would later tell police he had come home drunk and raped her and she reacted by putting rat poison in his corn whiskey jar the next day. -
Lanning coms and goes.
After two and a half years of marriage, Doss's third husband, Arlie Lanning died of what doctors proclaimed to be a heart attack caused by a flu that was going around. -
Dovie, Doss's sister.
After Lanning died, the house mysteriously burned to the ground and Lanning's mother died. Doss moved in with her sister, Dovie, who had cancer. Dovie died soon after while under Doss's care. -
Richard L. Morton
Two years after Lanning's death, Doss met and married Richard Morton. Soon after she found out that Morton was having an affair with his ex, he died. This was not before Doss's parents visited the two of them and the mother died after complaining of sever stomach cramps. -
Samuel Doss
After the death of Richard Morton, Doss set her sights on Samuel Doss. Samuel was extremely frugal and boring, however, and after convincong him to take out two life-insurance policies, he was in the hospital with stomach problems. Two weeks later, he was dead. -
Confessions
Alarmed at his sudden passing, Samuel's doctors ordered an autops to be performed. His organs were found to be full of arsenic and blame was put on Nannie. She then confessed to killing four husbands, her mother, her sister Dovie, her grandson Robert, and her mother-in-law, Arlie Lanning's mother. Nannie was sentenced to life in prison. -
Death of Nannie Doss
After serving 9 years in prison, Nannie Doss died of Leukemia in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.