She's commonly known as one of the nation's first female serial killers. Described as a "Good Samaritan" killer, she is said to have poisoned as many as 18 people; half of them, children. Digging into the story, however, left Michael with more questions than answers. What is the truth about Bertha Gifford?
Bertha Gifford would travel for miles even in bad weather to tend to people who were sick or injured, in a time when doctors might be hours away. Rumors begin to fly, however, that she is poisoning some of them, and when arsenic is found in the bodies of some of the people she nursed, it seems the accusations are true. How her trial ended leaves the answers to some questions unclear.
After listening, look for the interviews with S. Kay Murphy, Bertha's great granddaughter and author of The Tainted Legacy of Bertha Gifford, and with Marc Houseman, Director of the Washington (Missouri) Historical Society.
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