The Landlady of Death

At first glance, she was the kind of woman anyone would trust — soft-spoken, silver-haired, and always ready with a warm meal for those in need. But behind the lace curtains of 1426 F Street in Sacramento, something darker was happening.

Dorothea Puente ran a boarding house for the elderly and vulnerable, offering food, shelter, and kindness. Yet, beneath her garden, police would later uncover a horrifying truth — the bodies of her tenants, buried under the very soil she tended.

In this episode of Nurse Chat Diaries, Daman explores the chilling case of the “Death House Landlady,” a woman who weaponized compassion, exploited the forgotten, and fooled an entire community. Through survivor stories, case details, and the voices of those who remember, we look beyond the crime to ask: how could a caregiver become a killer?

This is not just a story about murder — it’s a story about trust, neglect, and the duty we owe to protect the vulnerable.

Dorothea Puente Case Background
Wikipedia Contributors. Dorothea Puente. Wikipedia. Updated Jan 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_Puente

News Coverage & Case Detail
CBS Sacramento. (2021). Death House Landlady: Dorothea Puente and themurders at 1426 F Street.
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/dorothea-puente-death-house-landlady/

Trial & Sentencing Information
California v. Puente, No. 291244 (Sacramento County Superior Court,1993).

Death & Prison Background
Stanton, S. (2011). Serial killer Dorothea Puente dies in prison at 82.The Sacramento Bee.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article2571869.html

Documentary / Public Archive
A&E True Crime. (2021). Dorothea Puente: The Death House Landlady.
A&E Network. https://www.aetv.com/

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