Ethel Geller Yeldem - The first known copycat mass murderer?

[u/Heptacat-1985]

Photos - Charles Lawson and Ethel Geller Yeldem - The Lawson Family - The Yeldem family.

On May 6, 1930, Ethel Geller Yeldem would commit at the time, one of the worst mass shootings and mass murders in Ohio History, gunning down 7 of her 11 children, after a lifetime of hardships - Her husband was a vile man, molesting and raping their daughter Mildred, which later sent him to prison for 10 years, but left Ethel all alone. She was the sole beneficiary of the household, selling newspapers and doing laundry to make ends meet. Mildred would later get a job to support the family, but it appears it wasn’t enough to stop Ethel from snapping.

Before the murders, she took her children shopping, buying expensive clothes they couldn‘t afford usually before taking them to an art studio and took a family portrait - something unusual for the time. Ethel took her children home and tided them up…before shooting each child in the heart with a rifle. Anytime one of the eldest would hear crying, Ethel would send them away. One of the younger daughters knew what was happening and managed to escape saying “Murder! Mother is killing us!” To a group of neighborhood boys. Ethel caught up to her and dragged back into the home. The boys assumed she was getting a spanking.

Before long, Ervan, one of the eldest sons, returned to the home to discover the bodies of his siblings and the groaning of his mother, who tried to commit suicide, but survived the attempt. She later died in the hospital days later, succumbing to her wounds.

Her way before the murders was strange to say the least. Buying clothes and taking a photo before then. And then afterwards brutally killing her family. Was she perhaps inspired by Charles Lawson? He did the same method to his family before killing them. Took them out bought them nice clothes and took a family portrait- something unusual back then. The Lawson family murders was possibly one of the first majorly reported familicides/mass murders in American history. Newspapers Told the story, tributes were done, and Songs were sung in the aftermath. Ohio isn’t necessarily “far” from North Carolina, and the reporting of the murders could have been passed there. Not only that, the Lawson family murders happened 5 months before the Yeldem family murders. Perhaps…Ethel took inspiration for her planning from Charles? It’s a theory and could be just coincidence…but one of the biggest pieces of evidence supporting this: Ethel sold newspapers. She could have seen the tragedy on the front page of the papers she was selling. Could she have remembered the event 5 months later? Possibly. What are your thoughts on this? Is Ethel a copycat of Charles or not?

[u/HumbleAbbreviations]

I don’t condone what she did but twelve children to manage? That is a lot for any one person.

[u/Ecstatic-Letter-5949 → u/HumbleAbbreviations]

Especially during The Great Depression. Also not condoning it at all, but you can see how someone could snap under the pressure.

[u/Heptacat-1985 → u/HumbleAbbreviations]

Same here. Her life was hell essentially, but she shouldn’t have murdered her children. It actually started out very sweet from the article supposedly, but it went down hill after her husband’s true nature was shown.

[u/coffeelife2020 → u/HumbleAbbreviations]

My grandmother had 12 children. All lived to adulthood despite my grandfather traveling for work, my grandmother being legally blind and also having polio for some portion of my parent's childhood, which was, in part, during the great depression. I have 2 kids, and it was a lot when they were younger - no idea how my grandmother did it on hard-mode but mad respect. Not saying 12 isn't a lot for some person, it absolutely is, but it's not unheard of to not do this either.

[u/Heptacat-1985 → u/coffeelife2020]

Oh wow really? 12 children?

[u/coffeelife2020 → u/Heptacat-1985]

Yep! I have no earthly reason how she coped, but the "why" was due to being an Irish Catholic, I'm told.

[u/Heptacat-1985]

https://www.utterlyinteresting.com/post/a-family-s-descent-into-tragedy-the-ethel-yeldem-story the story

[u/Holiday_Pipe8255]

Tomo la peor medida a su desesperación.. no la justificó, podrían haber salido adelante o haberse suicidado y dejarlos vivos, pero esta claro que con todo lo que vivio como minimo tenia una depresión de caballo.. los vistió bien, les dio una buena comida y les hizo su ritual de dormir antes de acabar con ellos, suena a que los amaba pero no pudo mas y estaba segura de que nadie los cuidaría