Maria Swanenburg

Maria Catherina van der Linden-Swanenburg (9 September 1839 – 11 April 1915) was a Dutch serial killer who murdered at least 27 people and was suspected of killing more than 90 people.

Maria Swanenburg
Born	Maria Catherina Swanenburg 9 September 1839 Leiden, Netherlands
Died	11 April 1915 (aged 75) Gorinchem, Netherlands
Other names	"Goeie Mie"
Criminal details
Motive	Life insurance payout
Method	Arsenic poisoning
Victims	27 confirmed, suspect to be over 90 victims
Crime span	1880–1883
Apprehended	December 1883
Conviction	Murder (× 3)
Sentence	Life imprisonment

Early life

Maria Swanenburg was the daughter of Clemens Swanenburg and Johanna Dingjan. After Maria's first two daughters died at a young age, she married Johannes van der Linden on 13 May 1868. The result of this marriage was five sons and two daughters. The marriage lasted until 29 January 1886.[1]

Her nickname was "Goeie Mie" (Good Mie), which she received because of her amicable neighborly assistance in babysitting and taking care of the sick and elderly in Leiden's poor neighborhood, where she herself lived.[2][3]

Murders

Her first victim was her own mother, in 1880; not long thereafter she poisoned her father as well.

It was established with certainty that at least 102 people were poisoned with arsenic between 1880 and 1883. Twenty-seven of her victims were killed,[4] of whom 16 were her relatives.[5] The investigation included more than 90 suspicious deaths. Forty-five survivors sustained chronic health issues after having ingested the poison.

Swanenburg's motive was the payout of her victims' insurance or their inheritance. She had secured most of the insurance policies herself.[6]

Capture and imprisonment

Swanenburg was caught after she poisoned the Frankhuizen family in December 1883.[7] Her trial began on 23 April 1885.[8] Swanenburg was found guilty of having killed at least three victims and she was sentenced to life imprisonment in a correctional facility, where she died in 1915.[9]

See also

• List of serial killers by country

References

Footnotes

1. Moerman 2013, § 1.
2. Rasovich 1995, § 17.
3. Weterings 2019, § 3.
4. Rasovich 1995, § 8.
5. Rasovich 1995, § 9.
6. Weterings 2019, § 4.
7. Weterings 2019, § 5.
8. Moerman 2013, § 3.
9. Weterings 2019, § 8.

Bibliography

• Moerman, I. W. L. (2013). "Swanenburg, Maria Catharina (1839–1915)". Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Huygens ING.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Rasovich, M.; Van Willigenburg, H. (25 August 1995). "Goeie Mie: de grootste gifmengster aller tijden". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 April 2019.
• Weterings, V. (2019). "Swanenburg, Maria Catharina (1839–1915)". Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Huygens ING.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)