the killer granny NO ONE suspected | Mystery makeup
Summary
TLDRThis chilling video script narrates the disturbing true crime story of Dorothea Puente, an unassuming elderly woman who committed a series of horrific murders in her Sacramento boarding house. As the details unfold, the script delves into Puente's troubled childhood, her manipulation tactics, and the shocking discovery of multiple bodies buried in her backyard. Despite her grandmotherly appearance, Puente emerges as a remorseless serial killer who preyed on vulnerable tenants, forged checks, and evaded justice for years, leaving a trail of deception and death in her wake. With a blend of macabre intrigue and insightful commentary, this script promises a gripping exploration of one of America's most unlikely and terrifying serial killers.
Takeaways
- 😲 The video discusses the life and crimes of Dorothea Puente, an American serial killer who murdered several of her tenants in Sacramento, California in the 1980s.
- 👵🏻 Puente portrayed herself as a caring elderly woman who ran a boarding house, but secretly drugged and killed her tenants, burying their bodies in the backyard.
- 💰 Puente's main motivation was financial gain, as she continued to cash the Social Security checks of her victims after their deaths.
- 👮♀️ After a lengthy investigation, police discovered seven bodies buried in Puente's backyard, leading to her arrest and conviction for three of the murders.
- 🍽️ While in prison, Puente bizarrely released a cookbook titled 'Cooking with a Serial Killer'.
- 🏡 The house where Puente committed her crimes, located at 1426 F Street, became a morbid tourist attraction, with the new owners leaning into its notoriety.
- 🤥 Puente maintained an unremarkable demeanor and refused to discuss or acknowledge her crimes, leading some to find her 'terrifying' in her lack of remorse.
- ❓ The video raises questions about whether Puente had accomplices who helped her move and bury the bodies, as well as the reasons behind her brief marriages.
- 💀 One victim's body was discovered with missing limbs, suggesting dismemberment, but the details were never fully explored.
- 🧓🏻 At the age of 82, Puente died in prison in 2011, serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Q & A
What was Dorothea Puente's background and upbringing like?
-Dorothea Puente had a very rough upbringing. She came from a large family, with anywhere between 6 to 17 siblings. Her parents were neglectful and abusive, with her mother working as a sex worker and her father being an alcoholic who would threaten suicide in front of the children. Both her parents passed away when she was young, leaving her an orphan who was moved from foster home to foster home.
Why was Dorothea often able to avoid suspicion and consequences for her criminal activities?
-Dorothea was able to charm and manipulate people with her friendly and unassuming demeanor as a sweet elderly woman. She would present herself as a devoted Christian woman dedicated to serving her community, endearing herself to social workers who saw her as a reliable and caring figure for taking in tenants.
How did Dorothea target and exploit her victims?
-Dorothea targeted vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly, mentally ill, or those struggling with addiction or homelessness. She would take them in as tenants at her boarding house, collect their Social Security checks and other benefits, and then eventually kill them, often by overdosing them with prescription drugs.
What was the extent of Dorothea's criminal activities and the evidence found against her?
-Investigators found seven bodies buried in the backyard of Dorothea's boarding house, along with evidence that she had cashed over 60 benefit checks belonging to the deceased tenants after their deaths or disappearances. One body was found dismembered, with the head, hands, and lower legs missing. A handyman also testified to helping Dorothea construct a custom box for disposing of a body.
How did Dorothea's trial and conviction unfold?
-After a lengthy trial with over 150 witnesses and extensive evidence, Dorothea was found guilty of three counts of murder, but the jury couldn't reach a verdict on six other murder charges due to the decomposed state of the bodies. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at the age of 64.
What was Dorothea's demeanor and attitude towards her crimes?
-Dorothea never showed much remorse or opened up about her crimes. She maintained an ordinary, unremarkable demeanor and insisted that she was once a good person. Interviews suggested she was wrapped up in her own fantasy world and didn't place much value on human life, which made her terrifying.
How did the infamous boarding house at 1426 F Street become a notorious landmark?
-The boarding house where Dorothea committed her crimes became a notorious landmark, with the new owners leaning into its infamy by putting up signs and a mannequin dressed as Dorothea. People would often come to gawk at the murder house, prompting mixed reactions from the public.
Were there any unanswered questions or mysteries surrounding Dorothea's crimes?
-One unanswered question was whether Dorothea had help from her tenants in burying and potentially dismembering the bodies, as it seemed unlikely she could have done it all on her own as an elderly woman. Additionally, the motivations behind her numerous short marriages remained unclear.
What was unusual about Dorothea's background and behavior?
-Dorothea had a history of constantly changing her name, backstory, and persona, often presenting herself as someone completely different. She had a penchant for telling conflicting stories about her family and background, making it difficult to determine the truth about her early life.
How did Dorothea's case shed light on the challenges of investigating and prosecuting serial killers?
-Dorothea's case highlighted the challenges faced by prosecutors in cases without direct eyewitnesses or clear physical evidence tying the suspect to the crimes. The decomposed state of the bodies and lack of concrete proof made it difficult to secure convictions on all counts, despite the circumstantial evidence pointing to her guilt.
Outlines
👋 Introduction to Bailey Sarian and her Murder, Mystery & Makeup Monday series
Bailey Sarian introduces herself and her weekly series where she discusses true crime stories while doing her makeup. She mentions that this week's story is about Dorothea Puente, an American serial killer who defied typical serial killer profiles. She provides some background on Dorothea's difficult childhood, with neglectful and abusive parents, and her transition into adulthood as a troubled individual.
🔪 Dorothea's Early Life and Criminal Beginnings
The summary covers Dorothea's early life, including her frequent name changes, marriages, and criminal activities such as working as a sex worker, operating a brothel, and writing bad checks. It highlights her tendency to lie about her background and her first criminal conviction for writing bad checks, leading to a probation violation and relocation to San Francisco.
🏠 Dorothea's Unlicensed Care Home and Manipulation
This paragraph details Dorothea's establishment of an unlicensed care home called 'Samaritans,' where she charmed social workers and authorities with her hospitable demeanor. It also reveals her exploitation of the residents, pocketing portions of their Social Security checks and subjecting them to poor living conditions. Her third marriage and subsequent bankruptcy are also mentioned.
💊 Dorothea's First Known Drugging and Theft
The summary outlines Dorothea's first known instance of drugging and robbing an elderly man named Malcolm. It describes how she incapacitated him with drugs and stole his valuables. It also mentions her encounter with another elderly woman, Irene, whom she drugged and robbed under the guise of being a nurse.
🚨 Dorothea's Continued Crimes and Near Misses with Authorities
This paragraph chronicles Dorothea's ongoing criminal activities, including drugging and robbing Dorothy Osborne, her neighbor. It also highlights her narrowly avoiding arrests and charges due to lack of evidence or authorities failing to connect the dots, despite multiple reports and complaints against her.
☠️ The Suspicious Death of Ruth Munroe and Dorothea's Manipulation
The summary details the suspicious death of Ruth Munroe, one of Dorothea's tenants, and the inconclusive coroner's report indicating an overdose of Tylenol and codeine. It also reveals Dorothea's manipulation of Ruth's family and her plans to flee to Mexico with Ruth's money from their joint account.
🕵️♀️ Dorothea's Disappearance and the Discovery of Bodies
This paragraph covers Dorothea's encounter with Everson Gillmouth, her fourth husband, and his subsequent disappearance. It also describes the discovery of his body, initially labeled as a 'John Doe,' and the eventual identification of seven bodies buried in Dorothea's backyard, leading to her fleeing and eventual arrest.
💸 Dorothea's Exploitation of Tenants and Fraudulent Activities
The summary outlines Dorothea's systematic exploitation of her tenants, including pocketing their Social Security checks, forcing them to behave in ways that led to their arrests, and profiting from their absence. It also mentions her fraudulent activities, such as forging benefit checks and collecting money from deceased tenants.
👮♀️ The Investigation and Discovery of Dorothea's Crimes
This paragraph details the investigation into the disappearance of Bert Montoya, one of Dorothea's tenants, and the subsequent search of her property, leading to the discovery of seven buried bodies. It also covers the authorities' pursuit of Dorothea after she fled and her eventual arrest in Los Angeles.
⚖️ Dorothea's Arrest, Trial, and Conviction
The summary outlines Dorothea's arrest, her demeanor during questioning and trial, and the challenges faced by the prosecution due to lack of eyewitnesses. It also covers the key evidence presented, including the testimony of the handyman who helped her dispose of a body, and her eventual conviction for three counts of murder and life sentence.
📘 Dorothea's Life in Prison and Legacy
This paragraph discusses Dorothea's life in prison, including her release of a cookbook titled 'Cooking with a Serial Killer' and her refusal to discuss her crimes or show remorse. It also mentions the legacy of her former home at 1426 F Street, which became a local attraction, and the opinions of those who interviewed her regarding her ordinary demeanor masking her lack of regard for human life.
🤔 Unanswered Questions and Final Thoughts
The final paragraph poses unanswered questions about Dorothea's crimes, such as whether she had assistance in burying and disposing of bodies, the reasons behind her short marriages, and the dismemberment of one victim's body. It also expresses the narrator's belief that Dorothea likely coerced or manipulated her tenants into assisting her and her apparent lack of remorse or concern for others' opinions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Serial Killer
💡Boarding House
💡Social Security Checks
💡Manipulation
💡Persona
💡Antisocial Personality Disorder
💡Forensics
💡Remorse
💡Unsuspecting
💡Motive
Highlights
Dorothea Puente was an American serial killer who murdered multiple elderly and vulnerable people for financial gain by cashing their Social Security checks.
Puente had a rough upbringing with neglectful and abusive parents, which may have contributed to her lack of empathy and disregard for human life.
Puente operated a boarding house for the elderly and those struggling with addiction, gaining the trust of social workers and presenting herself as a caring figure.
Puente would drug her tenants with prescription medications and bury their bodies in the backyard of her boarding house.
Seven bodies were unearthed from Puente's backyard, but she was convicted of only three murders due to lack of evidence for the others.
Puente showed no remorse for her crimes and insisted she was a good person, living in a fantasy world that made her terrifying.
The narrator questions how Puente, as an older woman, could have moved and buried the bodies alone, suggesting she likely had help from tenants.
Puente's short marriages and frequent name changes may have been attempts to evade detection or gain financial benefits.
While in prison, Puente released a cookbook titled 'Cooking with a Serial Killer,' showcasing a lack of remorse for her crimes.
The house where Puente committed her crimes became a local attraction, with the new owners embracing the notoriety and displaying a mannequin dressed as Puente.
Puente's victims were often vulnerable individuals with no family or close connections, making it easier for her to exploit them without raising suspicion.
Puente was known for her charming and motherly persona, which helped her gain the trust of social workers and authorities.
Puente would cash the Social Security checks of her victims long after their deaths or disappearances, amassing significant financial gain.
Puente was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, marked by deceit, manipulation, and a lack of remorse for her actions.
The narrator ponders the nature of Puente's marriages and whether they were motivated by financial gain or a desire for a new identity.
Transcripts
- Hi, friends, how are you today?
I hope you are having a wonderful day so far.
My name is Bailey Sarian.
And today is Monday, which means it's murder mystery
and Makeup Monday.
If you're new here, hi, my name is Bailey,
and on Mondays I sit down, and I talk about true crime story
that's been heavy on my knock in.
And I do my makeup at the same time
just to keep myself busy.
If you're interested in true crime and you like makeup, hi.
I would say subscribe,
'cause I'm here for you every other Monday,
and I do this, the products I'm using down below.
YouTube has this new thing,
where it's like it pops up on the side.
Let me know if you like that or not.
Trying it out, it's new, I don't know.
But other than that,
I will shut up and get into today's story.
Today, we're talking about an American serial killer
who nobody would've thought would be a serial killer,
'cause she does not check any of the boxes
of a fricking serial killer.
These are the ones you gotta watch out for, okay?
Today, we're talking about Dorothea Puente, you know her?
I thought I knew her story.
I'm always surprised every time.
I learned so much.
So let me tell you about Dorothea and her story.
She's got a lot going on and I left some stuff out,
because it was like, dude,
it was just a lot, it doesn't matter.
Dorothea was born January 9th, 1929
in San Bernardino, California.
San Bernardino was like just east of Los Angeles,
and at the time, when she was born there,
'cause now, it's like it's pretty well developed,
but when she was born it was like new,
and upcoming, and becoming a major metropolitan area.
You know, it's just starting off.
San Bernardino, little fun fact
was where the first McDonald's was built,
so there's that fun.
Now, record keeping at this time, not the best.
So there's like a lot of things that we don't really know
for sure about like Dorothea's upbringing,
but what we do know was that her upbringing was rough,
as I'm sure you can imagine, right?
Well, maybe you don't, but let me tell you.
So it was said that Dorothea,
she was a part of like a really big family.
She had anywhere between 6 to 17 siblings.
Now, it's unclear, nobody knows what the real answer is.
Dorothea would tell conflicting stories
about her background and her family,
so no one ever really got clarification.
So she either had 6 siblings or 17.
Just go with it.
So Dorothea's parents were not ideal.
Dorothea's mom was young when she had children,
and to make money, she worked as a sex worker.
But then when she was home,
it was said that she was just like very abusive.
She was uninterested, she's like, "Children where not mine."
And she loved the alcohol.
It was said, it was clear to the kids that like,
their mom did not like them or even wanna be around them.
She would take off her work,
she wouldn't say anything, okay?
And she wouldn't be gone for like just a few hours.
She would like go missing for days.
Yeah, everyone's like, "Where's mom?"
No idea, then she would just reappear one day and be like,
"What?
What?"
It just would be days, whatever, whatever.
When she did leave for long periods of time,
her answer was like, what to do with the children,
was to just lock them in one of the closets,
so they'd be safe.
Yeah, so she'd locked them in the closet.
Dorothea's father wasn't any better.
He, too, loved to just numb out with alcohol.
And when he was home with the kids, it was quite dramatic.
I guess he would get like real soft stop,
and he would announce to everyone in the room
that he was gonna kill himself, like, in front of the kids.
He's like, "I'm gonna kill myself."
So then he would literally bring out his gun,
he would press it against his head,
and tell them that he was going to pull the trigger.
Well, he was a big, old lying bitch,
because he never did it, but like I'm sure it's safe
to assume here that that was probably a traumatic thing
to witness for the kids or anyone, really, right?
Your dad doing that.
So rough.
Dorothea's father was physically sick a lot, too.
He had served in like in World War I,
and when doing so, at some point,
he was exposed to mustard gas,
which just destroyed his lungs and had lasting effects.
In 1927, when Dorothea was 8,
her dad ended up passing away from tuberculosis.
And then not even a year later,
Dorothea's mom ends up passing away in like a horrible,
horrible motorcycle accident.
She sounded wild, right?
'Cause I guess at this time,
her mom was like hanging around a motorcycle gang,
causing trouble, doing her thing,
but yeah, she got into an accident, and she died.
Dorothea was now an orphan,
and was being moved around from like place to place,
foster home to foster home,
and just no longer had that stable home life.
I'm not even sure if it was stable to begin with.
You know, obviously, tragic for anyone.
It was said during this time is when Dorothea
became quite the storyteller.
Like, she would tell like a lot of little lies
about anything and everything.
When she turned 16, she decided to get out of her situation,
and move out on her own to Olympia, Washington.
When she gets to Olympia, Washington,
she tells everyone that her name is Sherri.
She's like, "Hey, I'm Sherri."
And she quickly finds a job working at a milkshake shop,
and starts also working as a sex worker
to make some extra money.
Working at a milkshake shop, though, that would be my dream.
Okay, but she's working there and she's making,
but, you know, she's gotta pay the bill.
So she does sex work on the side,
so she could actually make money.
So 1945, Dorothea is 16 years old,
and this is when she meets a World War II vet,
his name is Fred McFaul.
The two of them seem to hit it off,
and after knowing each other for just like a few months,
they decide, "Hey we should get married," and they do.
Ah, marriage, yes, so quickly,
but it's pretty normal back then I guess, right?
Well, still now, people get married.
Whatever, they get married.
Now, Fred, he thought he knew who he was marrying,
but he had no idea.
Fred knew her as Sherriale Riscile.
And not only that, he thought,
he thought she was 30 years old.
Which I was like, okay, listen.
Either she must have been like a rough looking 16-year-old
to pass as a 30-year-old, or this Fred guy was dumb, blind?
I don't know, but he thought she was 30 allegedly.
So later on when Fred had learned the truth,
he would say that he thought Dorothea
genuinely just wanted to be a different person.
Like, she was probably running from her past.
As Sherriale, she could be whoever she wanted to be.
not that sad Dorothea with the shitty upbringing,
you know, probably, yeah.
Well, Dorothea and Fred, they're married,
and they end up moving to Nevada together.
The two of them would go on to have two daughters.
One in 1946 and another in 1947, but get this.
Both children would end up being removed from the home.
Now, I couldn't find out why,
because like they don't just come in
and remove children, right?
There has to be something wrong, but they were removed.
One daughter was taken to live with relatives
and the other was placed in adoption.
I don't know what was going on in that house,
but something obviously was not right, right?
More concealer makes me feel safe.
1948, Dorothea and Fred, they end up getting a divorce.
It wasn't working out.
Don't know.
Okay, when the divorce was final,
Dorothea, she would go around telling everyone
that her first husband had died.
I guess it's better than saying she got divorced.
So everyone for a long time,
believed that her first husband had indeed died.
Poor Dorothea.
So with her first husband dead now,
she ended up moving back to San Bernardino.
You know, she's familiar with it,
it's where she lives, whatever.
She didn't have any money,
she didn't have anyone to help her.
So this is when she picks up
her first criminal conviction.
Dorothea, she started writing bad checks,
which she got caught for, and would end up spending
four months in jail for writing bad checks.
She was also placed on three years probation,
which she kind of took as like a suggestion,
because she broke the probation in like month six,
because she ended up or she decided
she wanted to move to San Francisco instead.
So she moves to San Francisco, finds a man,
quickly marries him, changes her name.
All of this, I'm assuming to avoid the probation officers
from finding her.
She also started claiming to be an Israeli Muslim woman.
Like a, just a rebrand, if you will.
Also a side note, I don't wanna like give
all the husband's names and stuff,
'cause there's a ton and it's like you don't need to know
all the husband's names and stuff.
They don't, you get it?
Okay, I just don't think it matters.
Like, they end up getting divorced, like not that long.
So in 1960, Dorothea starts running
her own bookkeeping service, but really, it was a front.
She was actually running a brothel,
and she was working as the madam.
She would take care of the location and the girls,
and I'm using take care of loosely,
because I don't really know,
I don't really know if she was taking care of them.
We don't know.
But she was in charge of the brothel home,
and she was making good money doing it.
She's like, "Hell yeah, got him."
Well, the guy who was like renting the building to Dorothea.
He wasn't dumb, he caught on as to what was really going on,
and he ended up reporting her to the police.
So the police come in,
and they do this whole sting operation,
you know, undercover police work,
where I'm sure somebody got a free handy,
but it proved that Dorothea was indeed running a brothel,
and she was acting as the one in charge.
So arrested right there, she pleaded guilty,
and she was given 90 days in jail.
It was said, her husband at the time was very supportive,
but it doesn't really matter,
because as soon as she got out of jail,
the two of them got a divorce, it's her second husband.
She knew she was onto something though,
like maybe not running a brothel,
but something else, a new business venture.
She was like, "I like being in charge, you know?"
So she ended up setting up like an unlicensed care home,
and this care home would be for the elderly, the ill,
and most importantly, anyone who's struggled
with some form of like addiction, alcoholism,
stuff like that, and she called it the Samaritans.
So this new business venture,
Dorothea would be working as a 24-hour caretaker,
which would allow her to take a certain percentage
of her client's Social Security checks to fund the thing.
So she's able to have, you know,
a bit of income and keep things going.
It was said Dorothea could be quite the charmer.
She was able to get like everyone on her side.
When city inspectors would come by or like social workers,
they'd all come by like the building she was renting,
and they were always given like a warm welcome.
It was said Dorothea would offer them
some pie and coffee with every visit.
And usually every month,
she would throw a dinner for her clients
and their social workers.
And they were like always impressed with Dorothea.
They were like, "She cares so much about helping people.
It's amazing, isn't it?"
It's a shame.
The social workers, they considered her a stable
motherly figure for the people in her care.
I mean, it was just, she was a blessing.
Dorothea, now 39, gets married a third time
to a 21-year-old,
but the marriage only lasted about two weeks,
and then they divorced.
I don't know what the goal was there.
Okay, wow, with any of our marriages,
but hey, third divorce, done and over with.
But at the same time of this divorce,
she also declared bankruptcy.
I guess her business, the Samaritans was $10,000 in debt.
Yeah, I mean she didn't really have a background
in running a business,
so she had no idea really what she was doing.
She's like, "I don't know, I was just guessing."
But she took notes, okay?
She was gonna try again.
So she was like time for another rebrand, (gibbers).
That's the rebrand noise.
So Dorothea now in her 40's, transformed once more.
It was said that she had always been known
for her, quote, "brassy sexy makeup and dress", end quote.
But now suddenly or all of a sudden,
she was wearing baggy clothes, she's dressing modestly,
and she stopped dyeing her hair.
She told new acquaintances
that she was a devoted Christian woman
who was dedicated to serving her community,
which good for her, you wanna believe her?
But, you know, we're here, it's Monday.
So we know that's not really what she wants, is it?
No, it's not.
So Dorothea, she had rented a three story house
at 2100 F Street in Sacramento, California.
Sacramento, I've never been, it's the state capital.
I hear it's not that great.
Anyways, she's renting a house there, okay?
What she did was she took over the whole
like third floor of the place for her personal residence.
And then she had borders living
throughout the rest of the home.
It was said she took in homeless people,
anyone struggling with mental health issues
or substance issues.
And within the home, she also would host AA meetings.
And honestly, like the local social workers,
they were familiar with the whole thing.
And again, they considered Dorothea's services
as a reliable placement for their clients,
believing that Dorothea was taking good care of the people.
It was said that Dorothea, she had a system,
okay, she knew what she was doing.
The borders who were receiving
higher federally funded checks were put on the main floor.
While the residents who didn't have much to offer her
were kept in the basement,
where like there were, quote, unquote,
"rooms made up and separated by curtains."
Kind of like what they do at the hospital,
you know, they put up curtains, you get it,
so that's where they would stay.
And it sounds all fine and dandy, but we're here, you know.
I guess, behind closed doors, Dorothea would lose it.
Like, she would blow up on her tenants
about anything and everything.
I imagine she probably had some built up anger, huh?
Especially when it came to like the alcoholics.
It was said most likely, because they reminded her
of her own parents, which makes sense, right?
It was said that she was just a mean woman
behind closed doors.
During this time, Dorothea even developed
a drinking problem of her own.
Whoopsie.
So to keep her business afloat,
she would take Social Security checks from her tenants
to get the basics for the home.
And even sometimes, she would use that money to donate
to political campaigns that worked
towards gaining some respect within the social space.
And it worked, I mean, people left her alone.
And again, thought she was an angel helping the community,
helping the less fortunate,
and someone that they could rely on.
Kind of smart though, huh?
She was covering her book making sure no one's coming in
and like checking up on her.
Dorothea somehow managed to get a fourth husband.
No idea how she's finding them.
I know, but okay.
So the two would call it quits
after like 16 months of marriage.
Her fourth husband's biggest complaint
was that she wanted to buy new pantyhose every single day.
Not the pantyhose.
Leave the pantyhose out of this,
but that's was his reasoning.
In September of 1978,
someone over at the Social Security administration
was getting a little funny feeling about this Dorothea lady.
So they start to snoop around looking in her records,
and what really stuck out to them was how could a lady
with prior convictions be running
a reliable boarding house for recovering alcoholics?
Like, it just things, they had some questions.
So the treasury department
started looking into her finances,
and found out that Miss Dorothea had once,
again, been forging checks, oh yeah.
They stopped totaling the amount of forged checks
when the total reached $4,000,
which was enough to be charged with a felony.
So police, they find her, they approach her.
Dorothea quickly pled guilty.
And because of this, she avoided prison time.
She instead got five years parole,
and was ordered to undergo psychological counseling.
Now, because of all this hot mess,
she ended up losing her house at 2100 F Street,
and her position as a civic leader.
This was devastating to her.
And it was said, this led to her suffering
from a complete nervous breakdown.
Her psychiatrist diagnosed her
with a broad personality disorder.