One night in January 1910, a couple from America, Belle and Dr. Harpy Krippin, who lived in London, had some friends over for dinner. After eating, they all played a card game called Wist. Out of the blue, Belle stopped playing, stood up, and began to share a story.
Dr. Krippin noticed his wife doing something and had a feeling about what might happen next. He signaled to her not to talk about it and asked her to sit and play the game. However, she just waved him away, as if to say, “Let me do what I want, leave me alone.”
Dr. Krippin sighed and leaned back, watching everything unfold. No matter where they went, his wife always had to be the main focus, and he couldn’t change that. Dr. Krippin was a quiet person who often let others take charge, especially his wife. He was a bit small, with big eyes and large glasses. His job involved staying in a dentist’s office, blending medicines for the dentist. So, he was like a hidden person, working in the background, and no one really noticed him.
At the same time, Dr. Krippin’s wife, Belle, was a gorgeous lady with a lively personality. She dreamt of becoming an actress and singer. Whenever they went out, everyone adored her and hardly paid attention to Dr. Krippin. Not only that, but Belle used all of Dr. Krippin’s money to buy her very fancy clothes. This made Dr. Krippin upset. Now, he’s sitting on the sofa, annoyed, while Belle stands up in her fancy pink evening dress, telling everyone a big story.
At one time, Belle switched from talking to acting out a strange song and dance. It was like she made up a play on the spot and showed it to everyone. Paul and Clara, the dinner guests, were completely captivated by Belle’s performance. They thought it was amazing. Both Paul and Clara were into theater, just like Belle. Paul used to be a comedian, and Clara worked with Belle at their charity called The Music Hall Ladies Guild.
Dr. Krippin didn’t look happy when the two people at dinner clapped loudly for Belle’s great show. Belle smiled, giggled, and sat down, saying thank you. Dr. Krippin thought, “Now that she’s done, we can finally play the card game I like.” But when he got his cards, he saw they weren’t going to play. Belle’s show took up all their time, and now it was too late. The guests had to go before Dr. Krippin could start cleaning up and end the visit.
Belle, the man’s wife, wanted him to go outside and arrange for a horse and carriage to take their guests home. Dr. Krippin agreed, even though he didn’t really want to. As he headed to the front door to get the carriage, Belle shouted at him to make sure it was a good and expensive one, not a cheap and bad one. Dr. Krippin sighed but agreed. Outside, he looked everywhere but couldn’t find a nice carriage. All he could find were the noisy and old ones that his wife didn’t want. After searching for a whole hour and finding nothing better, he reluctantly had to call over one of the bad carriages. He went back inside and told the guests, “Okay, I got your horse and carriage.” The guests and Belle came outside, and she was not happy to see the poor-quality carriage. She glared at Dr. Krippin angrily, but the guests didn’t seem to mind. They went down the stairs, got into the carriage, said goodbye, and left.
The second Dr. Krippin had turned back around, Belle was already back inside their home. He knows that as soon as he goes in there, he’s going to get yelled at. So, he went inside the home, and in the living room was Belle, arms folded, just staring at him, absolutely furious. She began laying into him about not only how ridiculous it was that it took him a whole hour to find the carriage and it was a terrible carriage, something she said not to do. She told him that he was the reason their whole dinner party had been a total disaster. Even though Dr. Krippin thought it went pretty well, in Belle’s mind, her husband was the reason this party had totally failed. He was boring, didn’t contribute anything, and she told him that she noticed he did not applaud nearly as loudly as Paul and Clara had for her big performance, and that really hurt her feelings.
When Dr. Krippin stayed quiet and let his wife do all the talking without saying anything, Belle got really mad. She huffed, turned around, went to the shelf, and took a framed picture that she proudly displayed in their house. The photo was of her old boyfriend, a boxer she had a relationship with openly. Dr. Krippin knew his wife had been unfaithful with this good-looking man. Belle took the picture, held it up, pointed at the guy, and told her husband, “See, I can attract any man I want. Look at this, I can have him if I choose. I don’t need you.”
Dr. Krippin didn’t let it bother him when Belle treated him badly. He was used to it. He didn’t say anything and just took whatever she said. This made Belle even more upset because she wanted a reaction from him. Finally, she said, “I’m leaving you tomorrow. I’m done with you.” Dr. Krippin didn’t show any reaction. Belle had threatened to leave before but never actually did. Dr. Krippin felt like he was always being treated badly by Belle. Right now, he didn’t say anything about it.
All he wanted was for his wife to stop yelling so he could go to sleep. He didn’t care much about what she was saying. Honestly, he wouldn’t mind if she decided to leave him the next day. He was really unhappy in their marriage, just like she was. But he was too scared of causing a big problem, so he couldn’t bring himself to end the marriage. If she did leave, he would finally be free. The marriage would be done, and he would blame her for it.
Dr. Krippin was standing and waiting for his wife to finish talking. She was saying a lot of things, listing all the things he did wrong, even after she threatened to leave him. Then, Dr. Krippin surprised her by offering whiskey and asking if she wanted some. Belle looked at him with curiosity, and her mood suddenly changed. She said, “Sure, I’ll have some whiskey.” Dr. Krippin said, “Okay, I’ll go make it.”
Two days after, the folks from the charity club, the Music Hall Ladies Guild, gathered in their London office for a meeting. There was a hiccup – Belle, the treasurer, who had to be at the meeting, was missing. Everyone waited in the office, wondering where she could be. After a bit, they heard a knock on the door.
A lady stood up and opened the door. Guess who was there? It was Dr. Krippin’s helper, a young lady named Ethel. She seemed a bit tired, maybe even a bit out of breath. Ethel had a letter and a package with her. She told the lady at the door that she was there for Dr. Krippin and Belle. The lady said, “Sure, come inside.” Ethel went into the room, put the letter and package on the table, and then hurriedly went out.
After Belle left, the Guild members looked at each other, feeling puzzled. They picked up the letter she left behind, opened it, and read it. The letter was from Dr. Krippin, explaining that Belle had to go back to America because someone in her family was sick. She needed to take care of them, and she would be away for a few months. In the package Ethel dropped off, they found the Guild’s checkbook and ledger. This would help them find a new treasurer to take Belle’s place while she was gone.
Once the Guild folks read the letter and checked what was in the package, they stared at each other, feeling unsure about what to do. It was strange because Belle didn’t let them know she was leaving and left without saying bye. However, it seemed like she was dealing with something really important in America. They agreed the best thing to do was to get someone temporary to handle money matters and wait for Belle to return.
A few weeks later, Clara and the other Ladies Guild members threw their yearly party. They always invited Belle and her husband, Dr. Krippin, even though they knew Belle was still in America. Dr. Krippin came, but he wasn’t alone, which surprised everyone. He brought Ethel, his assistant, who had delivered a letter to the Guild about Belle leaving suddenly. Clara couldn’t believe her eyes as Dr. Krippin and Ethel danced together. It was shocking and confusing to Clara how Dr. Krippin could openly cheat on his wife in front of everyone. She couldn’t understand why he thought it was okay to do that in such a public place with all of Belle’s friends around. It just seemed unbelievable that someone would behave like Dr. Krippin was doing.
That night, Clara and the Ladies Guild met up. They talked about how Dr. Krippin seemed to be cheating on his partner, Belle. They agreed not to include him in any Ladies Guild activities until they could speak with Belle. However, Belle never returned, and she didn’t contact any Guild members or her friends. She simply vanished.
On March 20th, 1910, about two months after Belle was said to have left for America, Dr. Krippin shared some sad news. He told everyone that his wife Belle had become sick while in America, and unfortunately, she passed away.
He looked like he felt super embarrassed. Inspector Du saw it, but still asked regular questions. He let Dr. Krippin do his thing. Eventually, Dr. Krippin stopped answering at all. He took a break, put his head in his hands for a bit, took off his glasses, put them on the table, and looked at Inspector Du.
He said, ‘I should just be honest with you. Belle is not dead.’ Dr. Krippin told the inspector that the day after the dinner party with Paul and Clara, when he woke up in the morning, his wife Belle was not there. All her things were also gone. She had packed up and left during the night without telling him where she was going. Dr. Krippin understood that his wife had actually carried out her promise to leave him.
Dr. Krippin admitted that he fibbed about Belle’s situation to prevent a big problem. Even though Belle treated him badly, he thought she was great to everyone else, and they all liked her. Dr. Krippin hoped that by not telling the truth, both Belle’s and his own reputation would stay good. So, it seemed like a good outcome for both of them.
After Dr. Krippin was pretty sure Belle wouldn’t come back, that she had really left him forever, he started openly dating Ethel. He had liked Ethel for a long time, even when he was still with Belle. Now that Belle was gone, he felt free to show his love for Ethel to everyone. He admitted to an inspector, “People might not get it because they think Belle is in America and here I am dating someone else.” But Dr. Krippin insisted it was true. He wasn’t cheating on Belle; she left on her own, and now he was with Ethel.
After Dr. Krippin told the inspector everything, he felt really sorry and embarrassed. He put his face in his hands, and Inspector Du could see that Dr. Krippin was truly sorry.
This guy just shared really personal and embarrassing stuff, so it feels like he’s being honest. Inspector Du also thinks Dr. Krippin seems small and not the type to harm someone. However, Du can imagine Belle leaving him. Just to make sure, Du asked if they could search the place since it’s a missing person case, and they need to check everything.
Dr. Krippin said, ‘Sure, go ahead and look around my house.’ Inspector Du searched everywhere but found nothing. Then, the inspector told Dr. Krippin that he believed his story, and the case was almost closed. However, Inspector Du needed to talk to Belle to officially close the case because everyone thought she was dead. No one had heard from her, and that was the one thing still unknown.
Dr. Krippin was okay with it. He and the inspector teamed up to make a small ad for American newspapers. The ad would tell Belle to contact the police in London if she saw it. Once they had the right words for the ad, Inspector Du thanked Dr. Krippin, said he’d talk to him later, and then he left.
Five days later, Inspector Du went to talk to Dr. Krippin again. But guess what? Dr. Krippin and his new partner, Ethel, who also worked with him, were nowhere to be found. Nobody knew where they went. This made everything about the Belle case different. Inspector Du started to think, maybe Dr. Krippin and Ethel are trying to avoid something. It seems like they didn’t tell the truth about being involved in Belle’s disappearance.
Inspector Du sent pictures and information about how the people looked to newspapers and police stations everywhere in Europe. He also remembered to look at all the ships going to America in case Dr. Krippin and Ethel wanted to escape that way. While everyone was busy searching, Inspector Du and his team went back to Dr. Krippin’s house to look more carefully for clues.
The police went to Dr. Krippin’s nice three-story house on a quiet street. They went inside and looked everywhere, even turning over beds and checking drawers and closets. They didn’t find anything suspicious. But Inspector Du, who was very frustrated because he felt tricked by the doctor, walked down to the basement. There, he saw other investigators who were also searching but didn’t find anything important.
But when Inspector Du went around the corner at the bottom of the basement stairs, he saw some bricks in front of the fireplace that seemed a bit strange. They looked too new or something. Trusting his instincts, he went over to these bricks in front of the fireplace. He examined them and picked up a poker, the tool used for moving logs in a fire. He started tapping each brick, and every time he tapped, he heard a solid thumping sound, like there was something hard under the brick.
But when he hit each of the bricks, he reached the middle. When he used the poker on one brick, it made a hollow sound. Something was under the bricks. Inspector Du got really excited. He called his team, and together they removed all the bricks. Underneath, they found a smooth layer of clay.
Inspector Du asked for a shovel, a man brought one, and he scooped once. A really bad smell came out, making everyone, including Inspector Du, feel sick. They all quickly left the basement to escape the smell. After recovering, Inspector Du and his team covered their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs, went back into the house, and into the basement. They took the shovel and kept digging.
After taking a few scoops, they found out why there was a really bad smell in the clay pit, the hole under the bricks in the basement. They discovered human body parts in the ground, but there were no arms, no legs, and no head. All they found were the inside parts of a person and a sheet of skin that seemed to be removed very carefully, like in surgery.
The police couldn’t be sure who exactly the remains belonged to because they were limited. However, they discovered several clues in a pit: strands of hair that matched Belle’s, pieces of pajamas that belonged to Dr. Krippin, and a distinctive birthmark on the skin that also matched Belle’s. Additionally, inside the intestines found in the pit, investigators found traces of a specific tranquilizer. Dr. Krippin had been making that tranquilizer at his job, where he mixed medicines for dentist offices, in the weeks leading up to Belle’s disappearance.
Shortly after these shocking discoveries were made, Dr. Krippin and Ethel were found on a boat trying to flee the country that way. So, they would be arrested. Ultimately, Dr. Krippin would be found guilty of murdering his wife, and he would be sentenced to death. As for Ethel, she would be acquitted of any participation in the crime. However, this was not the end of the story. Far from it.
One hundred years later, in 2010, a scientist from Michigan State University found a piece of tissue in the remains discovered in Dr. Krippin’s basement. These remains were kept in a London Museum. The murder case was officially closed in 1910, but many people couldn’t understand the strange details. Dr. Krippin managed to get rid of his wife’s head, arms, legs, and all her bones successfully, and no one ever found them. However, he chose to bury her organs and skin in his basement under loose bricks. This doesn’t make sense to many people.
Okay, so, if Dr. Krippin used poison to make his wife die, why did he cut her body into pieces later? Usually, people use poison because it makes the death seem natural. But if you harm the body, it’s clear someone did it, and it raises suspicions. Did Dr. Krippin change his plan and hurt his wife’s body even after using poison? It just doesn’t make sense.
Alright, there was a scientist from Michigan State University who wanted to solve a mystery. He took a piece of tissue and checked its DNA. Then, he compared it to the DNA of one of Bell’s grand-nieces. When he looked at the results, he found out that the DNAs didn’t match. So, the body found in Dr. Krippin’s basement wasn’t Bell’s. But here’s the really strange part.
After checking, the detective found out that the body in Dr. Krippin’s basement was not a woman, but a man. Nobody knows who that man was, and Belle was never found. Dr. Krippin, who was innocent, was wrongly punished for a crime he didn’t commit, and he lost his life.
In February 2000, a small-town police officer went into an apartment where a man had just taken his own life. The officer felt sorry for the man, but he thought it would be a simple case – someone had ended their own life. However, as he approached the body, he noticed something strange on the floor near the man’s head. It was a book open to a page with writing on it. The officer knelt down, read the words on the page, and it gave him a creepy feeling.
Someone wrote this on purpose for others to see. But before the police officer could tell anyone about it, they found something else. There was a video in the trash of the person who died. When the police watched it, they saw something surprising.