Lyda Southard
Encyclopedia
Lyda Southard was an American serial killer. She was suspected of killing her brother-in-law, four husbands and a daughter, but was only convicted of killing her fourth husband, Edward Meyer.
. The Trueblood family moved to Twin Falls, Idaho
in 1906.
Lyda married Robert Dooley on March 17, 1912. The couple settled with his brother Ed Dooley on a ranch in Twin Falls and had a daughter, Lorraine, in 1914. Ed Dooley died in August 1915; the cause of death was ruled ptomaine poisoning
. Robert Dooley subsequently fell ill and died of typhoid fever
on October 12, 1915.
She married William G. McHaffle in June 1917. Shortly afterward, Lyda's three year old daughter fell ill and died, prompting the McHaffles to move to Montana
. A year later, McHaffle suddenly fell ill of what was thought to be the flu and died in Montana on October 1, 1918. The death certificate ruled the cause of death as influenza
and diphtheria
.
In March 1919, she married Harlen C. Lewis and settled in Billings, Montana
. He fell ill and died of another "flu bug" in July 1919. Lyda married for a fourth time in Pocatello, Idaho
, to Edward F. Meyer in August 1920. He mysteriously fell ill of typhoid and died on September 7, 1920.
Twin Falls chemist Earl Dooley, a relative of Lyda's first husband, began to study the deaths surrounding her. Along with a physician and another chemist, he soon discovered that Ed and Bob Dooley were murdered by arsenic poisoning
. Twin Falls County Prosecutor Frank Stephan began investigation and began exhuming the bodies of three of Lyda’s husbands, Lyda’s 3-year-old daughter, and Lyda’s brother-in-law. Stephan discovered that some of the bodies contained traces of arsenic, while others were suspected of arsenic poisoning by the how well the bodies were preserved, and found her motive in the records of the Idaho State Life Insurance company of Boise. All 4 of Lyda's husbands had held a life insurance policy where they listed her as the beneficiary. Lyda Trueblood was able to collect over $7,000 over the years from the deaths of her first three husbands.
She was found by law enforcement in Honolulu, married for the fifth time to Navy petty officer Paul Southard. Following extradition to Idaho, she was arraigned on June 11, 1921. Following a six-week trial, she was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to ten years to life imprisonment in the Old Idaho State Penitentiary
.
She escaped from prison on May 4, 1931 and took up residence in Denver, Colorado
as a housekeeper for Harry Whitlock, a man she married in March 1932 but who ultimately assisted in her arrest in Topeka, Kansas on July 31, 1932. She returned to the penitentiary in August 1932. She was released on probation in October 1941, and received a final pardon in 1942.
Lyda gave birth to a daughter, Lorraine Dooley, in 1914; she died in 1917.
on February 5, 1958 in Salt Lake City, Utah
. Her body was interred at Sunset Memorial Park in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Biography
Lyda Anna Mae Trueblood was born October 16, 1892 in Keytesville, MissouriKeytesville, Missouri
Keytesville is a town in Chariton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 533 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chariton County.-Geography:...
. The Trueblood family moved to Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
in 1906.
Lyda married Robert Dooley on March 17, 1912. The couple settled with his brother Ed Dooley on a ranch in Twin Falls and had a daughter, Lorraine, in 1914. Ed Dooley died in August 1915; the cause of death was ruled ptomaine poisoning
Foodborne illness
Foodborne illness is any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as chemical or natural toxins such as poisonous mushrooms.-Causes:Foodborne illness usually arises from improper handling, preparation, or...
. Robert Dooley subsequently fell ill and died of typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
on October 12, 1915.
She married William G. McHaffle in June 1917. Shortly afterward, Lyda's three year old daughter fell ill and died, prompting the McHaffles to move to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. A year later, McHaffle suddenly fell ill of what was thought to be the flu and died in Montana on October 1, 1918. The death certificate ruled the cause of death as influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
and diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
.
In March 1919, she married Harlen C. Lewis and settled in Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
. He fell ill and died of another "flu bug" in July 1919. Lyda married for a fourth time in Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
, to Edward F. Meyer in August 1920. He mysteriously fell ill of typhoid and died on September 7, 1920.
Twin Falls chemist Earl Dooley, a relative of Lyda's first husband, began to study the deaths surrounding her. Along with a physician and another chemist, he soon discovered that Ed and Bob Dooley were murdered by arsenic poisoning
Arsenic poisoning
Arsenic poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the element arsenic in the body. Arsenic interferes with cellular longevity by allosteric inhibition of an essential metabolic enzyme...
. Twin Falls County Prosecutor Frank Stephan began investigation and began exhuming the bodies of three of Lyda’s husbands, Lyda’s 3-year-old daughter, and Lyda’s brother-in-law. Stephan discovered that some of the bodies contained traces of arsenic, while others were suspected of arsenic poisoning by the how well the bodies were preserved, and found her motive in the records of the Idaho State Life Insurance company of Boise. All 4 of Lyda's husbands had held a life insurance policy where they listed her as the beneficiary. Lyda Trueblood was able to collect over $7,000 over the years from the deaths of her first three husbands.
She was found by law enforcement in Honolulu, married for the fifth time to Navy petty officer Paul Southard. Following extradition to Idaho, she was arraigned on June 11, 1921. Following a six-week trial, she was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to ten years to life imprisonment in the Old Idaho State Penitentiary
Old Idaho State Penitentiary
The Old Idaho Penitentiary State Historic Site, also known as the Idaho Territorial Prison, was constructed in the Territory of Idaho in 1870. The territory was less than ten years old when the prison was built east of Boise, Idaho in the western United States...
.
She escaped from prison on May 4, 1931 and took up residence in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
as a housekeeper for Harry Whitlock, a man she married in March 1932 but who ultimately assisted in her arrest in Topeka, Kansas on July 31, 1932. She returned to the penitentiary in August 1932. She was released on probation in October 1941, and received a final pardon in 1942.
Marriage and children
She was married seven times:- Robert Dooley (March 17, 1912-October 12, 1915)
- William G. McHaffle (June 1917-October 1, 1918)
- Harlen C. Lewis (March 1919-July 1919)
- Edward F. Meyer (August 1920-September 7, 1920)
- Paul V. Southard (?, divorced)
- Harry Whitlock (March 1932-?, divorced)
- Hal Shaw (possibly divorced)
Lyda gave birth to a daughter, Lorraine Dooley, in 1914; she died in 1917.
Death and afterward
Southard, by then known as Anna Shaw, died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on February 5, 1958 in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. Her body was interred at Sunset Memorial Park in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Further reading
- Anderson, William C. Lady Bluebeard:The True Story of Love and Marriage, Death and Flypaper (Fred Pruett Books, 1994)