A Death in White Bear Lake

The True Chronicle of an All-American Town

De: Barry Siegel

Narrado por: Charles Constant

In 1962, Jerry Sherwood gave up her newborn son, Dennis, for adoption. Twenty years later, she set out to find him - only to discover he had died before his fourth birthday. The immediate cause was peritonitis, but the coroner had never decided the mode of death, writing "deferred" rather than indicate accident, natural causes, or homicide. This he did even though the autopsy photos showed Dennis covered from head to toe in ugly bruises, his clenched fists and twisted facial expression suggesting he had died writhing in pain.

Harold and Lois Jurgens, a middle-class, churchgoing couple in picturesque White Bear Lake, Minnesota, had adopted Dennis and five other foster children. To all appearances, they were a normal Midwestern family, but Jerry suspected that something sinister had happened in the Jurgens household. She demanded to know the truth about her son's death.

Why did authorities dismiss evidence that marked Dennis as an endangered child? Could Lois Jurgens' brother, a local police lieutenant, have interfered in the investigation? And most disturbing of all, why had so many people who'd witnessed Lois' brutal treatment of her children stay silent for so long? Determined to find answers, local detectives and prosecutors rebuilt the case brick by brick, finally exposing the shocking truth behind a nightmare in suburbia.

©1990 Barry Siegel (P)2019 Tantor

real

I picked this book due to a personal and local connection. I was fascinated by the story. I also loved the way the author highlighted the legal and medical changes that changed with this case.

Peek into how times have changed

I enjoyed traveling back in time and learning how much attitudes have changed on child abuse. It’s difficult to hear that so many would not speak out.
Living in Minnesota and being familiar with the Twin Cities, I enjoyed hearing names of roads, newspapers and broadcast stations I recognized.

Humanizing tale of inhuman acts

The depth of characters & backgrounds mixed with the steps and missteps of the adoptive and law enforcement systems bring this heartbreaking story to light. The Author invests in setting setting the reader with an understanding of "The times" That the crime occurred in to both show how such a systematic failure might happen, but also how timeless such an act of evil is.

Can’t make this up!

I’ve lived in White Bear Lake for 33 years, moving here just a couple of years after “A Death in White Bear Lake” was published. Why did I not read it earlier? It was especially fun as I know one person who was referenced briefly, a seven-year-old in the neighborhood (now in his late 60’s).

White Bear Lake is a great town with a strong sense of community. If you visit today, you’ll notice the concrete polar bear lawn ornaments in a lot of yards. In the summer, downtown hosts Thursday night events where thousands of people show up for live music, food trucks, and local artists. It’s hard to imagine a place that feels more connected, which makes the events in this book even harder to take in.

What really stood out to me was how thorough Barry Siegel’s research is. It feels like he chased down every lead and document he could find. He also does a really good job digging into the development of the schools and how fast the community grew. The district was expanding quickly, building schools and trying to keep up, and that context matters when you’re trying to understand how so many people and systems missed what was happening. Reading this now, it’s striking to think about how far things have come. The community recently passed a major bond referendum that completely modernized the high school, which is now considered one of the most beautiful in the state. That kind of investment says a lot about what White Bear Lake values today.

One of the benefits of reading this so many years later is perspective. It helps you see how long it’s taken to get to where we are now, where we at least want to believe that child abuse won’t be tolerated, by neighbors, family, or the courts. And yet abuse still happens, and too often well-meaning people stay quiet because they’re afraid of being wrong about an adult, even when a child might be at risk.

One thing that hasn’t aged well is the way Siegel describes women in the book. In almost every case, he introduces female characters by talking about how they look - voluptuous, soft, chubby, long-legged, and so on. It’s noticeable and a little uncomfortable, but also reflective of the times. I doubt he’d write that way today, but it stood out.

That said, this is still a great book. It’s disturbing, well-researched, and hard to stop listening to once you get into it. For anyone who lives in White Bear Lake, or cares about how communities can fail and then slowly learn, this book is worth the time.

sometimes a little too detailed

some of the information provided was hard to listen to, but it was the details that had me hooked
Excellent story, peak at history, beautifully narrated