Maria Swanenburg

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]

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]

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