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Cup. There. Were two more

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months with the miles away with

2:25

Survivor Two telephone and will request

2:28

remind her. Weird.

2:31

Describe or one of them are is reminiscent

2:33

of a. Time

2:37

and time again we hear about

2:39

picture perfect home folding horrors we

2:42

could never imagine. Today

2:44

story began as one such case.

2:47

But. Even when faced with the ample

2:49

evidence to prove otherwise. Many.

2:51

Felt as though their hands were tied

2:53

and less to unable to help. On.

2:56

April Eleventh, Nineteen Sixty five, a

2:58

young boy lost his life at

3:00

the hands of a perfect adoptive

3:02

mother who saw him as nothing

3:05

more than a bad seed. So.

3:07

If you like your coffee hot but your

3:09

bones shelled. Sit. Back and start your

3:11

day with a morning cup of murder. Dennis.

3:15

Craig Fugate was born on December six,

3:17

nineteen Sixty One to a pair of

3:19

teenagers who, at the insistence of the

3:21

authorities, put their son up for adoption

3:24

and hope that someone could give him

3:26

the care that he needed. Adopted

3:29

by the Jerkins of White

3:31

Bear Lake, Minnesota, his father

3:34

became Harold, a former bandleader

3:36

turned electrician, and lower. A

3:39

homemaker, Now prior

3:41

to adopting Dennis. Lowest had

3:43

grown up in an impoverished

3:45

home with sixteen other siblings.

3:48

And according to the sources, Used.

3:50

Her marriage to Harold as a means

3:52

to improve her social standing. A.

3:55

Woman with a pathological need to

3:57

have control over every aspect of

4:00

her life. She was known to

4:02

obsessive li clean her home and

4:04

tend to her about in. Though

4:07

viewed as the perfect housewife, Things.

4:09

Were incredibly overwhelming for Lois,

4:12

and in the years before

4:14

Dennis entered their lives, she

4:17

suffered from bouts of depression

4:19

and even psychosis that led

4:22

to the institutionalization and electroconvulsive

4:24

therapy. Later diagnosed

4:26

with having mixed psycho neurosis.

4:28

Though. She was unable to conceive a child

4:31

with her husband. Driving. Her further

4:33

into a depressive stayed. The. Couple

4:35

was officially forbidden to adopt due

4:37

to her mental state. But.

4:40

Somehow they managed to get

4:42

their hands on a baby

4:44

named Robert through a private

4:46

adoption. Finally, Able to

4:48

complete the picture perfect family that

4:50

she always wanted, lowest switched gears

4:52

and became a mother who. From.

4:55

An early age Robert. Learn

4:57

to placate by staying out of her

4:59

way and never to cause any and

5:02

do math. Though. Things

5:04

might not have been as wonderful behind

5:06

closed doors as a scene from the

5:09

outside. The adoption was considered a wild

5:11

success in the eyes authorities who had

5:13

a change of heart. And. Allow

5:15

the Jurgen to adopt more children

5:18

through official channels. Enter

5:20

one year old Dennis Craig

5:23

Jurgen. Plays. With

5:25

Harold and Lois in Nineteen Sixty Two

5:27

and anticipation of an adoption after spending

5:29

most of his first year in foster

5:31

care. Every One hope that

5:34

Dennis would thrive under the care

5:36

of an experienced and by all

5:38

accounts loving foster mother. And.

5:41

Said almost From the moment he

5:43

entered the home Lois felt a

5:45

severe and of sets of dislike

5:48

for the boy who I'm like

5:50

the sun she already raise. Was.

5:52

The typical energetic, rambunctious and spirited

5:55

toddler who had not learned to

5:57

see a the woman who was

5:59

raised. Him. In

6:01

her eyes Robert was her quote

6:04

good son. And Dennis

6:06

was simply a nuisance. Described.

6:08

As an intense and angry woman

6:11

with a short fuse and a

6:13

volatile temper. Things. Were so

6:15

restrained inside the home and Herald

6:17

at some point suggested that they

6:19

should not go forward with the

6:21

adoption, but Lois worried that it

6:24

would discourage the authorities from allowing

6:26

her to adopt future children. Refused.

6:28

Despite her and he thing anger.

6:31

Within. Just one of his arrival,

6:33

Dennis Jerkins was rushed to the

6:36

hospital with both first and second

6:38

degree burns on his genitalia. See.

6:41

Harrowing ordeal was dubbed an

6:44

accident. And. Not long

6:46

after, the adoption process was

6:48

officially complete, From

6:51

a tiny enter the home at one years old

6:53

until he was about three and a half. Dennis.

6:56

Suffered at the abuse of hands

6:58

of his sadistic adoptive mother. A.

7:00

Woman whose husband never made much

7:02

effort in stopping, even though he

7:05

himself never laid hands on the

7:07

boy. Bleeding that

7:09

corporal punishment was the only way to

7:11

make the boy quote right. Lowest

7:14

spent years torturing the young toddler

7:16

in her care. Like

7:18

when she angered by the boy rejecting

7:20

the food that she gave him responded

7:23

by placing horseradish on the food and

7:25

force feeding him until he was purple

7:27

in the face from lack of oxygen.

7:30

When. He would vomit up where he

7:32

was forced to eat. She would make

7:34

him eat his own vomit. She

7:37

also seem to obsess over the young

7:39

boys weight, which according to his medical

7:41

records, was completely appropriate for his age

7:43

at the time. But would frequently

7:45

starve him in an effort to rid him

7:48

of his quote. Floppy. Fat.

7:50

a term that she later used

7:53

as his nickname, Because.

7:56

Of this, Dennis gained only three pounds

7:58

in the to and a half years

8:00

he live with The Jerkins. And.

8:03

According to the coroner who

8:05

later studies have small body,

8:07

he had almost zero subcutaneous

8:09

fat. And. Was at the

8:11

same level as someone who died

8:13

of starvation. In

8:16

addition to the incident with the

8:18

burns, Dennis became the victim of

8:20

other abuses that would fall under

8:22

the category of sexual sadism. Like

8:25

when he what his diaper again a

8:27

completely normal action have a child his

8:29

age. And Lois responded by

8:31

clipping a spring action close tend

8:33

to the tip of his penis

8:35

to stop him from urinating. And

8:38

that same coroner who noted is terrifying.

8:40

Wait. Also. Found evidence of

8:43

adult human bite marks on the

8:45

boys penis. And. Scarring all

8:47

over his screwed up. Later.

8:50

Testifying in court, Neighbors.

8:53

And family members claim that dance would

8:55

often show up the public events wearing

8:57

sunglasses to fight his frequent black eyes.

9:00

And on some occasions.

9:02

Lowest. Would allegedly hi the boys limbs to

9:05

the bed posts to keep him from getting

9:07

up during the night. And secured

9:09

him to the toilet to try

9:11

and force a bowel movement. Never.

9:15

Once apologizing for her

9:17

actions, Lois. Believe that

9:19

all of this and more. Was.

9:21

The appropriate way to discipline

9:23

her. Quote: bad child. Believing.

9:26

Has a devout Catholic that she

9:29

was doing quote God's work by

9:31

making her son quote perfect and

9:34

her eyes. In

9:36

fact, both her sons were forced

9:38

into religious training, and will reports

9:40

claim that Robert could flawlessly recite

9:42

the rosary at just two years

9:44

old. When. Dennis struggled with the

9:46

work. He. Was forced to pray

9:49

and do has resigned hastens one

9:51

kneeling on a broomstick for extended

9:53

periods of time. Though

9:55

those close to the family saw signs that

9:58

something was amiss inside the jerk. Their

10:00

home but did nothing to stop

10:02

it out of fear of Lewis's

10:04

retribution. To. The Casual Observer:

10:06

Harold and Lois seems like

10:09

the perfect churchgoing family who

10:11

kept a beautiful home and

10:13

selflessly adopted children in need.

10:16

And. Because the term child abuse

10:18

had a yet to be claimed

10:21

and no one, not even medical

10:23

professionals are required to report their

10:25

concerns. Dennis. Was last

10:27

in the care of his sadistic adoptive

10:29

mother. And stay there. Until

10:32

April. Eleven, Nineteen Sixty

10:34

Five. According.

10:36

To the sources. On that night a

10:38

great flood hit the St. Paul area

10:40

and as the Mississippi River water is

10:43

rose to record highs. Flooding.

10:45

Began inside the homes of many

10:47

families including the jerk. Completely

10:50

enraged over the floodwaters filling

10:53

her basement. Something.

10:55

Occurred early that morning, the

10:57

cause the perforation of young

10:59

dentists A small bowel causing

11:01

perry tonight is and ultimately.

11:04

Is. That. The the

11:06

exact chain of events remained unknown for

11:08

many years. With. The sole

11:10

witness being five year old Robert.

11:13

It. Was clear from the state of his

11:15

body, the the young boy had been

11:17

brutally beaten and start for most of

11:19

his young wife at the hands of

11:21

a woman who was supposed to care

11:23

for him. It wouldn't be until he

11:26

was twenty seven years old though, that

11:28

Robert would finally recount the events on

11:30

that evening. Testifying.

11:32

That his mother be young, Dennis

11:34

extensively and then threw his fragile

11:36

body down a flight of stairs.

11:40

To. There were investigations into the

11:42

incident. As stated before, the idea

11:44

of abuse taking place in a

11:46

middle class home. Seemed. Hard

11:48

to believe and even more difficult

11:51

to actually prove. So.

11:53

In spite of all the physical

11:55

evidence pointing toward severe abuse, the

11:57

medical examiner marked for death as.

12:00

Quote deferred. Later.

12:02

A great deal of suspicion was thrown.

12:04

Had a man named Jerome there was.

12:07

A Police lieutenant for the City of White

12:09

Bear Lake. And. Lois Jerkens,

12:11

his brother. Who. Many believe

12:14

might have interfered with the

12:16

investigation and destroyed any incriminating

12:18

evidence against his sister. So.

12:21

There wasn't enough evidence to charge her with

12:23

Dennis as murder. There. Was enough

12:25

suspicion that Robert was removed from

12:27

the home. And. Place of

12:29

various relatives and a foster family for

12:32

the next handful of years. While.

12:34

His parents fought like hell to

12:36

regain custody. Eventually.

12:38

Places his paternal grandparents and Harold

12:41

and lowest this request. That

12:43

arrangement and dead due to a

12:45

house fire that saw the death

12:47

of his grandmother. There.

12:50

was a lot of the fish and a floating

12:52

around that lowest for self pause the fire. Especially.

12:55

Considering the exact date coincided with

12:57

a time where Robert in the

12:59

hospital with pneumonia was safely out

13:02

of the house, He.

13:04

Was eventually sent to live with

13:06

more relatives before finally returning to

13:09

Lois and Harold in Nineteen Sixty

13:11

Nine at the age of ten.

13:14

His. Return came after the couple hired

13:16

a new lawyer. Who. Just

13:18

so happened to be good friends

13:20

with the judge who presided over

13:22

the juvenile for custody hearing. And.

13:24

Against the wishes of a Ramsey

13:27

County social worker who told police

13:29

that she strongly opposed Roberts return

13:31

to the her believe that Dennis

13:33

had been murdered, she later said

13:36

that she was discouraged by her

13:38

supervisors. And. The prosecutor from looking

13:40

into the past. and was told

13:42

by the then as the think county attorney.

13:45

Paul. Lynde Home. Said. Dennis

13:47

as file was missing. Determining

13:51

that Lois was fine to raise her

13:53

son again, Leaving. Many who believed

13:55

her to be dangerous. Completely helpless. Robert.

13:58

Was returned home and the. Though.

14:00

Despite their history. Was.

14:02

Able to adopt for school

14:04

age siblings from Kentucky in

14:07

nineteen seventy two. Despite.

14:09

Social workers expressing their concern quieted

14:11

by the supervisors, The hotel children

14:14

three brothers and sister were sent

14:16

to Minnesota because the state of

14:19

Kentucky one of them off welfare.

14:21

And the Georgians is of course being

14:24

paid a salary to take the kids.

14:26

Then had a letter from their past

14:28

her father Bernard Riser. Supporting.

14:30

The decision and explaining what the candidates

14:32

they were to care for the siblings.

14:36

With. Favorable psychological evaluations as

14:38

well. It was almost

14:40

as is dennis. And. What

14:42

happened to him didn't even exist.

14:46

What they didn't know, or what

14:48

they didn't take the time to

14:50

learn was that Lois, his mental

14:52

state was rapidly deteriorating. And.

14:54

Unable to keep up appearances any longer and.

14:57

She. And Harold A relocated to

14:59

Stillwater, Minnesota to escape all the

15:01

gossip in their former town. It

15:05

was here that a sibling eventually.

15:07

And nineteen seventy five. Ran.

15:09

Away from home with the help of

15:11

concerned neighbors. Going.

15:13

To the police, the kids told officers how

15:16

Lois would wake them up in the middle

15:18

of the night to infect their rooms. Beating.

15:20

Them as she found a speck of dust

15:23

or a hangar as fast. And the closet?

15:25

Made. Them stand barefoot in the snow.

15:28

How. She wants grabbed one of the

15:30

boys by his ears and slammed his

15:32

forehead onto a protruding nail in the

15:35

wall. And. How she would

15:37

order Harold to beat the children. And

15:39

he still unwilling to join in on

15:42

his wife's behavior. Would. Take them

15:44

down to the basement. Tell them to

15:46

Scream! And smacked his own.

15:48

like to try and placate her.

15:51

They were so filled with fear that the

15:53

sound of her door squeaking or the sight

15:56

of her car in the driveway from the

15:58

school bus. Would. Send. The

16:00

into a complete panic. Their

16:03

tails, their views, coupled with the still

16:05

present suspicion surrounding Dennis is that. Was.

16:08

Enough to finally terminate Lois and

16:10

Heralds parental rights and they were

16:12

seen informed that they were now

16:14

no longer allowed to foster or

16:16

adopt any more children. While.

16:19

The siblings were assessed and spent

16:21

years and therapy trying to deal

16:23

with their pain. Now in her

16:25

late thirties. Jerry Sherwood

16:27

genesis birth mother. Began.

16:30

A personal mission to find the baby that

16:32

she place up for adoption as a teenager.

16:35

Having given birth to for more children

16:37

with Dennis his birth father, she helped

16:39

introduce her children to their brother. Only.

16:42

To find that all of researchers led

16:44

her to his burial site. Wanting.

16:47

To know what happens. She.

16:49

Managed to get a hold of lois shirt and. Food.

16:52

Cordially. Offered to mail some

16:54

of her sons the Mentos to his

16:56

birth mother. When. Those items

16:58

never arrived. Jerry called again, only

17:01

to find that in a short

17:03

period of time between phone calls.

17:06

The Jerk and had switched to

17:08

an unlisted number. By.

17:10

Now she was suspicious enough to dig into

17:12

her son's death certificate. And. Found

17:14

that it was categorized as deferred. And.

17:17

That the case was technically still

17:19

an open one. Jerry.

17:21

Took what little she knew to the

17:23

White Bear Lake Police Department on September

17:25

Eleventh. Nineteen Eighty Six. Claiming.

17:27

Her belief that her baby had been

17:29

beaten to death in the care of

17:31

his adoptive mother pushed further and took

17:33

her story to the media. Law

17:36

offices at the Station. Some who

17:38

word the original investigators from all

17:40

those years before started to look

17:42

into their options. The St. Paul

17:44

Pioneer Press ran a cover story

17:46

on the case and though they

17:48

did not name the dragons is.

17:51

Those. Who live in a city and

17:53

familiar with? The couple knew exactly who

17:55

the report was talking about. Jerry

17:58

thought to keep. Then case and

18:01

the Public eye and eventually Lowest

18:03

Surgeons was arraigned and charged with

18:05

the murder of three year old

18:07

Dennis. Later. Described

18:10

as one of the few crimes that

18:12

simply to them it may be described

18:14

as ritual abuse. The court

18:16

heard devastating details of Dennis as

18:18

many injuries. And. The

18:20

emaciated state of his body when brought

18:23

in after his death. Wounds.

18:26

And marks that were so deep. That.

18:28

When the body was, it zoomed in. Nineteen Eighty

18:30

Seven. They were still present.

18:34

With. Robert testify against his mother

18:36

now in her sixties. Lowest.

18:38

Airguns was convicted of third degree

18:40

murder but served just eight years

18:43

before being released on the behavior

18:45

and. She lived a

18:47

secluded life until her death on May

18:49

seventh. Twenty Third Team. She.

18:51

Proclaims her innocence until her dying

18:54

day, however, when her husband died

18:56

in two thousand and. There.

18:58

Was suspicion that she poisoned him

19:01

and that he became her final

19:03

victim. This. Was later

19:06

investigated however and eventually rolled

19:08

out. Thank. You for joining

19:10

me and my morning cup of murder. Please

19:12

join me again tomorrow. You're a terrible thing.

19:14

Happened on April Twelve. Don't.

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