Born in 1905 as Nancy Hazel, Nannie Doss presented a facade that belied the chilling reality she would become. Her mother's romantic magazine columns painted an image of ideal love, a stark contrast to the string of dead husbands and family members that would later earn her the sinister title of "The Giggling Granny." Doss's life story unveils a disturbing tale of how a desire for companionship morphed into a lethal obsession, leaving behind a legacy of suspicion and unanswered questions.

Doss's first marriage, to Charles Braggs, occurred swiftly after a mere four-month courtship while working at a thread factory. However, the promised romance quickly deteriorated, marred by Braggs's infidelity. The couple had four children, but tragedy struck when two died mysteriously from apparent food poisoning. Though not definitively linked to foul play at the time, these early losses cast a dark shadow in retrospect. Braggs also reportedly abused Doss and their children, creating a home filled with instability and fear. The marriage ended when Braggs fled with their two surviving daughters, leaving Doss to raise their remaining child alone. This early exposure to marital conflict, loss, and potential violence may have profoundly influenced her future.

Seeking escape from her troubled past and the idealized romance she may have gleaned from her mother's writings, Doss turned to lonely hearts columns. Through this avenue, she met Robert "Frank" Harrelson. Their correspondence, filled with romantic promises, led to marriage in 1929 and a move to Jacksonville, Florida. However, this second attempt at marital bliss proved equally disastrous. Harrelson's alcoholism fuelled a violent temper, creating an unhappy environment that ultimately ended their sixteen-year marriage.

The narrative takes a sinister turn following a night of heavy drinking by Harrelson in 1945, celebrating the end of World War II. Upon returning home, he allegedly subjected Doss to marital rape. The next day, Doss laced his whiskey with rat poison, ending his life and her second marriage. This act marked the beginning of a horrifying pattern - a macabre quest for love where unwanted husbands were systematically eliminated.

Doss sought companionship again through lonely hearts columns, this time finding Arlie Lanning in North Carolina. Their connection was rapid, leading to marriage within days. However, Lanning, too, became a victim of Doss's methods, succumbing to rat poison in 1950. While the official cause of death was recorded as heart failure, the circumstances surrounding his sudden demise now serve as a chilling testament to Doss's escalating violence.

Doss's pursuit of an ideal partner next led her to Richard L. Morton of Emporia, Kansas, whom she met through a singles club. Their marriage in 1952 was short-lived, reportedly due to Doss's dissatisfaction with Morton's infidelity. Soon after, Morton met a suspicious end.

The full scope of Nannie Doss's homicidal tendencies began to surface with the death of her fifth husband, Samuel Doss of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1953. Samuel, a devout man, held traditional values and disapproved of Nannie's fascination with romantic fiction, even forbidding her from reading such stories. Shortly after their marriage, Samuel developed severe digestive problems, mirroring the symptoms of other victims in Doss's orbit. He died on October 5, 1953, after a short hospital stay. An autopsy revealed lethal levels of arsenic in his body, providing irrefutable evidence of the poison that had likely silenced multiple lives connected to Nannie Doss.

In her confession, Doss stated that she murdered Samuel "because he got on my nerves," a disturbing and casual explanation. Her admissions extended beyond her husbands, encompassing the deaths of her mother, Lou, who had come to live with her and Morton and died of severe stomach pains just three months after Morton, as well as other unspecified family members. This revealed a pattern of eliminating those who displeased or inconvenienced her, portraying a woman with a warped sense of control and a chilling disregard for human life.

Throughout her trial, Doss's unsettling demeanour – smiles and inappropriate jokes – both fascinated and horrified the public and the media, who dubbed her "The Giggling Granny," "The Merry Widow," and "Lady Blue Beard," highlighting the contrast between her appearance and her actions.

Despite the overwhelming evidence and her conviction for murder, the presiding judge opted against the death penalty, citing a potential "poor precedent" for executing a woman, a decision reflecting societal biases of the time. Nannie Doss was sentenced to life in prison.

Even within prison walls, Doss's morbid sense of humour persisted, revealing a lack of remorse or understanding of her crimes. She reportedly told a reporter, "When they get shorthanded in the kitchen here, I always offer to help out, but they never let me." This dark jest underscores the disconnect between her actions and her seemingly light-hearted attitude.

Nannie Doss succumbed to leukaemia in 1965, ending the life of a woman who used the promise of romance to mask her deadly intentions. Her story remains a complex case study in criminal psychology, a chilling reminder of the darkness that can reside beneath ordinary exteriors, and a stark warning about the consequences of unchecked desires and a warped perception of love.

Reference:

• The True Crime File, Kim Daly 
  

Written By: Md.Imran Wahab, IPS, IGP, Provisioning, West Bengal
Email: [email protected], Ph no: 9836576565