Lyda Southard (October 16, 1892 – February 5, 1958), also known as Lyda Anna Mae Trueblood, was an American female suspected serial killer. It was suspected that she had killed her four husbands, a brother-in-law, and her daughter by using

arsenic poisoning Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but o ...

derived from

flypaper Flypaper (also known as a fly ribbon, fly strip, fly capture tape, or fly catcher) is a fly-killing device made of paper coated with a sweetly fragrant, but extremely sticky and sometimes poisonous substance that traps flies and other flying inse ...

in order to obtain life insurance money.

Early life

Lyda Keller was born on October 16, 1892 in

Keytesville, Missouri Keytesville is a city in and the county seat of Chariton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 440 as of the 2020 census. Keytesville is the hometown of U.S. Army General Maxwell D. Taylor, who commanded the "Screaming Eagles" 101 ...

, 60 miles northeast of

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

and in the central flatlands of Missouri.

Marriages

Keller married Robert Dooley on March 17, 1912. The couple settled with his brother Ed Dooley on a ranch in

Twin Falls, Idaho Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 51,807 as of the 2020 census. In the Magic Valley region, Twin Falls is the largest city in a radius, and is the regional ...

, and had a daughter, Lorraine, in 1914. Lorraine died unexpectedly in 1915, Keller claimed, as a result of drinking water from a dirty well. Edward Dooley died soon afterward in August 1915; the cause of death was ruled

ptomaine Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease) ...

poisoning. Robert Dooley subsequently fell ill and died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

on October 12, 1915, leaving Keller as the sole survivor in the family. Keller collected on the life insurance policies of each person shortly after their death. Two years after Robert Dooley's death, Keller married William G. McHaffle. Shortly afterward, Keller's three-year-old daughter fell ill and died, prompting the McHaffles to move to

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. A year later, McHaffle suddenly fell ill of what was thought to be

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

and died in Montana on October 1, 1918. The death certificate stated the cause of death as influenza and

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

. In March 1919, she married Harlen C. Lewis, an automobile salesman from

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...

. Within four months of their marriage, Lewis fell ill and died from complications of

gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea and gastro, is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of energy, and dehydra ...

. Keller married for a fourth time in

Pocatello, Idaho Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...

, to Edward F. Meyer, a ranch foreman, in August 1920. He mysteriously fell ill of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

and died on September 7, 1920. ;List of marriages #Robert Dooley (March 17, 1912 – October 12, 1915) #William G. McHaffle (June 1917-October 1, 1918) #Harlen C. Lewis (March 1919-July 1919) #Edward F. Meyer (August 1920-September 7, 1920) #Paul V. Southard (?, divorced) #Harry Whitlock (March 1932-?, divorced) #Hal Shaw (possibly divorced)

Murders

Twin Falls chemist Earl Dooley, a relative of Keller's first husband, began to study the deaths surrounding her. Along with a physician and another chemist, he soon discovered that Ed and Bob Dooley were murdered by

. Twin Falls County Prosecutor Frank Stephan began an investigation and started exhuming the bodies of three of Lyda Keller's husbands, her 4-year-old daughter, and her brother-in-law. Stephan discovered that some of the bodies contained traces of arsenic, while others were suspected of arsenic poisoning by how well the bodies were preserved, and found her motive in the records of the Idaho State Life Insurance company of Boise. All four of Keller's husbands had held a

life insurance Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer or assurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death ...

policy where they listed her as the beneficiary. Keller was able to collect over $7,000 over the years from the deaths of her first three husbands. She was found by law enforcement in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, married for the fifth time to Navy petty officer Paul Southard. Following extradition to Idaho, she was arraigned on June 11, 1921.

Victims

Prison

Following a six-week trial, she was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to ten years to life imprisonment in the

Old Idaho State Penitentiary The Old Idaho Penitentiary State Historic Site was a functional prison from 1872 to 1973 in the western United States, east of Boise, Idaho. The first building, also known as the Territorial Prison, was constructed in the Territory of Idaho in 18 ...

. She escaped from prison on May 4, 1931 and took up residence in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, as a housekeeper for Harry Whitlock, a man she married in March 1932 but who ultimately assisted in her arrest in Topeka, Kansas, on July 31, 1932. She returned to the penitentiary in August 1932. She was released on probation in October 1941, and received a final pardon. Lyda Southard was returned to Idaho to face murder charges on Meyer. She pled not guilty in court but ultimately was convicted of using arsenic to murder her husbands and then taking the insurance money. She was sentenced to ten years to life in an Idaho prison. It was determined that her motive for murder was money, since she had taken out and collected on the life insurance policies of each of her dead husbands.

Death

Lyda Southard died of a heart attack on February 5, 1958 in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. Her body was interred at Sunset Memorial Park in Twin Falls, Idaho.

References

External links

Other Media

The podcas
Murderous Roots
spent a
episode
discussing the murders and her family tree. {{DEFAULTSORT:Southard, Lyda 1892 births 1915 murders in the United States 1958 deaths 19th-century American people 19th-century American women 20th-century American criminals 20th-century American people 20th-century American women American female murderers Mariticides Murderers for life insurance money People convicted of murder by Idaho People from Keytesville, Missouri Poisoners Suspected serial killers