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- [00:01]
A
Hey there, we're Sabrina d' Anarroga and Corinne Vian, hosts of Crimes of. Crimes of is a weekly true crime series with each season diving into a different theme, from unsolved murders to mysterious disappearances and the cases that haunt us most. And since it's Valentine's season, we are unpacking Crimes of Passion. When love turns into obsession, passion twists into paranoia, and jealousy drives people beyond the edge of reason. Crimes of is a Crime House original. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube. New episodes every Tuesday. This is Crime House.
- [00:49]
B
Have you ever heard of the Bystander effect? It's the idea that people who witness a crime are more likely to turn away and do nothing to stop it, rather than step in and say something. But whether the bystander effect is totally real or not, some serial killers throughout history have certainly benefited from others inaction. Helmut Schmidt was one of them. A manipulative, overconfident misogynist who depended on the apathy of others in order to lure women into his web of lies and murder. But that apathy only lasted so long. Eventually, his victims, loved ones, and even his own neighbors caught on to Helmut's game. And they would do anything they could to stop a vicious killer in his tracks. The human mind is powerful. It shapes how we think, feel, love and hate. But sometimes it drives people to commit the unthinkable. This is Serial Killers and Murderous A Crime House Original I'm Vanessa Richardson.
- [02:07]
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And I'm forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels. Every Monday and Thursday, we uncover the darkest minds in history, analyzing what makes a killer.
- [02:17]
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Crime House is made possible by you. Follow serial killers and murderous minds and subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts for ad free early access to each two part series. Before we get started, you should know that this episode contains discussion of murder, dismemberment and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. Today we conclude our deep dive on Helmut Schmidt, a serial killer who lured, trapped and killed so many brides. He earned the nickname the American Bluebeard after the folktale about a man who murders his wives.
- [02:54]
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As Vanessa goes through the story, I'll be talking about things like the lengths some criminals will go to hide their guilt, how they manipulate others into silence, or even lying on their behalf, and why in the end, those same criminals might fight to protect those people's innocence.
- [03:13]
B
And as always, we'll be asking the question, what makes a killer? As spring break and a busy season approach, staying organized often means simplifying everyday decisions, including what to wear daily, dailylook helps take the guesswork out of getting dressed with curated style delivered to your door. DailyLook is a premium personal styling service and DailyLook is the number one highest rated premium personal styling service for women. Customers are paired with a dedicated personal stylist who curates a box of clothing based on body shape preferences and lifestyle. These are real personal stylists, not an algorithm, and the same stylist works with you every time. Each box includes up to 12 premium pieces to try on at home, making it easy to find pieces that fit seamlessly into a busy spring schedule. Flexible delivery options are available every 30, 60 or 90 days. Keep what you love, return the rest and enjoy free shipping both ways. Getting started is simple by taking the style quiz at DailyLook.com Elevate your style by signing up at DailyLook.com today. Take your style quiz at DailyLook.com and get 50% off your first styling fee with the code CEREAL. That's Daily Look.com code. A year from today, what would your dream private practice look like? Would you spend less time chasing claims or only working with clients who value your skill set? What if you had a network to reach out to for questions or free continuing education? What if you had more time for yourself? ALMA empowers you to confidently accept insurance backed by an all in one EHR that simplifies scheduling, documentation and day to day practice operations. With a network of engaging providers and.
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- [05:18]
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Learn more about alma@helloalma.com getstarted. Your dream practice is closer than you think. Get started now@helloalma.com get started. By the spring of 1917, 41 year old Helmut Schmidt had left behind a trail of broken romances. But they were more than just failed relationships. Helmut had been luring, trapping and even killing women for years. His first wife, Anita, who was also the mother of his daughter Gertrude, had disappeared without a trace. So did his former mistress, Margarita. Then Helmut abandoned his second and third wives, Anna and Adele after stealing all their money. Then Helmut killed his fourth wife, Irma shortly after they moved to Detroit. Finally, In March of 1917, Helmut Schmidt claimed his latest victim, 38 year old Augusta Steinbach. Like many of his previous victims, Augusta met Helmut through a marriage ad in the newspaper. After a quick and steamy courtship, Helmut asked Augusta to marry him. But shortly after, she stepped across the threshold at 9 Oakdale Boulevard in Royal Oak, Michigan. He killed her and buried Augusta's body underneath the front porch. Afterward, Helmut was right back to his old tricks. He started placing new marriage ads in new York newspapers, Looking for his next target. What he didn't realize was that people were catching on to his suspicious behavior, including his own neighbors. Jonathan and lena welsh lived next door to the schmidts. The two families didn't really socialize, but the welshes still noticed everyday things about the Schmidt's, Like Gertrude practicing her organ and Helen emptying fireplace ashes in the stream behind their house. However, there were also some unusual things that stood out, too. On March 11, 1917, the last day anyone saw Augusta, Lina claimed she saw Helmut pull into his driveway with a woman in the passenger seat who she didn't recognize. They went inside together, and moments later, Lena apparently heard loud groaning coming from the house, Then crying. She didn't see or hear anything for a while after that. But later that afternoon, Lena said someone covered up the windows of the Schmidt's basement with newspaper.
- [07:55]
A
It feels like there's a massive contrast here. Helmut is typically very deliberate and meticulous about managing how he is perceived. He plants stories in advance. He's focused on narrative control, he worries about exposure, and he's strategic. But in this moment, it feels like he's rushed to cover up what he planned to do next In a very obvious and somewhat messy way, with the newspaper over the windows and the yelling and the crying. So why is that? Well, I think that's urgency. When someone who is usually usually meticulous Suddenly becomes sloppy like this, or appears to be sloppy like this, and it doesn't consider his neighbors the way that they once had. It often means the internal pressure has overridden the strategy. The mask is somewhat slipping here.
- [08:44]
B
What do you think it says about Helmut that he waited until after going into his house with Augusta in broad daylight to cover up the basement windows?
- [08:53]
A
I think it suggests that he believed that once Augusta crossed the threshold into his home, the situation was already under his control. At that point, concealment was about cleanup. His house was his domain and his controlled environment, and anything that happened in there was beyond scrutiny. It also emphasizes how disturbingly severe his emotional detachment was. Covering the windows afterward implies he could move from violence to practical problem solving without any kind of hesitation or even consideration. Consideration for how that might be perceived by anyone on the outside, or even maybe even on the inside, for that matter. He might even be trying to conceal from the inside, too, from Gertrude or Helen. Thus the urgency either way, he's completely.
- [09:40]
B
Compartmentalized that despite the small measures Helmut took to hide what he was doing, Lena and Jonathan found more reasons to be suspicious of him. About two weeks later, a couple named the Hetheringtons came by looking for Augusta. They owned the boarding house in Detroit where she'd briefly stayed before moving to Royal Oak to be with Helmut. They'd come by a few times already, and this time Jonathan stopped to talk to them. The Hetheringtons explained they were looking for a woman named Augusta. She'd been planning to marry a man named Herman Neugebauer, who they believed lived at 9 Oakdale Boulevard but every time they'd knocked on the door to try and talk to Augusta, the people who lived there denied knowing her. Eventually, those same people drove to their boarding house to explain that Augusta had changed her mind about Herman and went back to New York. The Hetheringtons told the Welches that they were suspicious of that story, and when they described Herman, Jonathan became suspicious, too. Because Herman sounded a lot like his neighbor Helmut. Jonathan told the Hetheringtons he'd try to help out. And later that day, he and Lena racked their brains for possible explanations. Eventually, Jonathan landed on a frightening conclusion. He believed their neighbor Helmut Schmidt was a German spy. It wasn't a completely outlandish thought at the time. The US was gearing up to fight Germany in World War I, and Helmut was from Germany, after all. Jonathan thought that was why he'd used the fake name Hermann Neugerbauer and that Augusta wasn't his fiance, but a possible accomplice. Jonathan and Lena thought this explained some of the Schmidt's behavior. They'd covered the basement windows for privacy. And maybe the ashes Helen was always dumping were from burned instructions and other spy correspondence. The Welshes thought they had it all figured out, but Jonathan didn't want to notify authorities until he was absolutely sure. So he went to the Ford plant where Helmut said he'd worked to see if that was really true. When he got there, he started asking around about a man named Helmut Schmidt or Herman Neugerbauer. And no one knew anyone by either name. However, when Jonathan provided a physical description of the man he was looking for, everyone did recognize him, except they knew him by the name Adolph Ulrich. Jonathan was floored. There was yet another alias his German neighbor was using. He felt that was enough to alert the Justice Department. In mid April of 1917, about five weeks since Augusta disappeared, DOJ agents knocked on Helmut's door. They were accompanied by Oakland County Sheriff Oliver Green. When Helen opened the door and saw them there, she almost fainted. But Helmut rushed over and told her he would handle things. The officers told him they'd received an anonymous tip that he was an enemy agent and asked to come inside. But Helmut quickly gathered himself and let them in. He was actually relieved. Not only did he know they'd find no evidence of spy activity in his home, but letting them into the house was better than leaving them standing on the porch right over the spot where he'd buried Augusta. Once they were inside, Helmut tried to earn their trust. He told them he did know some German spies, but he wasn't one of them. From there, the DOJ agents started looking around the house. Meanwhile, Sheriff Green asked Helmut about the names Herman Neugerbauer and Adolf Ulrich. Helmut admitted that he used a different name at work, but he didn't say why. As for Herman Neugerbauer, Helmut said that was a real person that he knew.
- [13:31]
A
Helmut is a master at narrative control, as you have really outlined for us. So it's no surprise that he seems to have all the answers to Sheriff Green's questions. If he answers quickly and confidently, he gets to set the frame. Investigators are forced to react to his version of events rather than build their own from scratch. It also exploits a very human bias. We tend to trust people who sound certain and consistent, and that's worked for him and all of his cons so far. Also, we have to consider his personality structure and his psychopathy traits. He's emotionally detached, and he has a shallow affect that allows him to think clearly under pressure, appear as if he's not panicked, and he's not likely to appear visibly distressed at all.
- [14:20]
B
What do you make of the fact that Helmut said he knew some spies? Do you think he was pretending to kind of admit some guilt as a way to seem more innocent?
- [14:28]
A
Yes. Partial admissions are a manipulation tactic that is commonly used because it disarms suspicion. When someone volunteers information that sounds damaging, even partially, it can create the assumption that they're being transparent. And then again, people are more inclined to believe someone that seems forthcoming than those that seem to be withholding. He's attempting to control perception, and it seems to be somewhat successful.
- [14:56]
B
Helmut's responses were a little too convenient. But before Sheriff Green could ask a follow up, the agents called him down to the basement to check something out. Helmut followed Greene down the creaky stairs. In the basement, the agents were standing next to three steamer trunks bursting with jewelry and women's clothing, including a wedding dress. The men turned and looked at Helmut with suspicion. He stayed calm as he told the same story Helen had told the Hetheringtons. He said the luggage belonged to Augusta Steinbach. She'd been planning to marry his acquaintance Herman Neugerbauer, but changed her mind at the last minute. She'd gone back to New York and asked Helmut to hang on to her things until she found a place to live. All three men were convinced. It explained why no one had heard from Augusta for a while and why Helmut had been acting so secretively. He'd been trying to protect Augusta and Herman's privacy during a sensitive time. The officers thanked him for his time and left. Helmut was relieved, but only for the time being. Now that he'd told the authorities the same story that he'd told the Hetheringtons, he needed to tie a bow on things. A few days after the agents visited, Helmut Thomas Hetherington received a postcard from New York that was postmarked April 14, 1917. It asked for Augusta's mail to be forwarded to Mr. Helmut Schmidt. It was written in feminine looking handwriting and signed Augusta Steinbach. The Hetheringtons were relieved. They felt this was clear proof that Augusta was okay and assumed she wanted her mail forwarded to Helmut while she and Herman were on their honeymoon. They didn't seem to question why Helmut and his family had denied knowing Augusta.
- [16:45]
A
So it's clear that the Hetheringtons and even the detectives want Augusta to be okay. So sending this postcard is exploiting confirmation bias and their need for closure. Sending it resolves their anxiety and confirms to them through some perceived evidence that Augusta is alive and well and makes their future doubts in Helmuth seem alarmist or even overreactions caused, causing them to question their own reality. This makes them feel foolish or at fault for ever questioning him in the first place. So we cover a lot of cases, but Helmut is one that I find particularly heinous, which I know is saying a lot. He stands out to me because of the sophistication of his manipulation. He used trust, hope, love, and social norms as tools. Many violent offenders act impulsively, explosively, or in moments of rage. Helmut didn't. He engineered entire realities. He created identities. He rewrote social narratives. He weaponized marriage. He manipulated not just victims, but neighbors, law enforcement, and entire communities. His abuse was systemic. He's the kind of offender that professionals like myself have to be very strategic and cautious with when evaluating, because his skill at deception and manipulation means he would try to dominate the assessment itself. He'd Push boundaries. He'd steer the conversation, test limits and attempt to control how he's perceived while meeting with us even. And many of the cases we cover would likely do that, but he's more extreme interpersonally. And with individuals like this, the evaluation would likely become an interactional test. How they respond to structure and limits, especially with a woman, often tells you more than their words or their performance ever could. And I've evaluated many people like him. In some cases, when an individual is not redirectable or fails to respect boundaries and the structure of the evaluation, it's appropriate to terminate and resume at a later time. That's clinically sound. Even in court ordered evaluations, there are professional limits. An evaluation cannot proceed if it becomes disruptive or unsafe, and judges understand that. Helmut would be somebody that I think a lot of professionals would have a very difficult time with.
- [19:13]
B
Helmut's trick may have worked on the Hetheringtons, but there was one person who was still suspicious of him. Augusta's friend from New York, Agnes Domeniecki. Throughout March and April, Agnes had been sending Augusta letters to the Hetherington's boarding house address, but they'd all bounced back. So in early May, Agnes went to a storage warehouse on East 63rd street where she knew Augusta had kept some of her belongings while she got settled into her new life in Royal Oaks. She wanted to confirm whether her luggage had actually been sent. When she got there, the clerk confirmed that Augusta's things had gone to Royal Oak, but they'd since been sent back. Agnes asked to see the trunks, but the clerk said it was against the rules to open them. So instead, Agnes asked for the address in Royal Oak where they'd gone, and the clerk gave it to her. 9 Oakdale Boulevard. Agnes was getting increasingly worried, but at least now she had an address. She contacted a friend who lived in Detroit and asked them to go there and check on Augusta. When the friend reported back, they told Agnes something disturbing. Augusta wasn't there, only a man, his wife, and their teenage daughter. Agnes asked her friend to describe the man, and it sounded exactly like Augusta's fiance, Herman. Agnes knew something was wrong, but what she didn't know was that Helmut Schmidt was one step ahead of her. Confronting high credit card debt can feel scary. But the good news is, if you owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt, financial relief options are now available. National Debt Relief is currently offering debt relief designed to reduce what you owe and put you on the fast track to becoming debt free. If you qualify for debt relief, you may be able to pay back less than what you owe and save thousands of dollars. Just visit nationaldebtrelief.com Imagine only paying one low monthly program payment you can afford and saving money as you become debt free. National Debt Relief has already helped bring debt relief to over 550,000 US consumers, earning thousands of five star reviews and an A rating with a Better Business Bureau. You're stronger than your credit card debt. Let today be the day you start turning things around. Take the first step and visit nationaldebtrelief.com to see what debt relief you may qualify for. That's National Debt Relief.com In April of 1917, Agnes Dominecki discovered that Augusta Steinbach's belongings had been returned to a storage warehouse in New York, sent by the man Augusta was supposed to marry. Now Agnes felt panicked. She found the contact information for Oakland County Sheriff Oliver Greene and sent him a letter reporting that Augusta was missing. She explained what she discovered in the storage unit and that the man living at 9 Oakdale Boulevard sounded like Augusta's fiance, Herman. When Sheriff Green received the letter, he thought back to the three trunks he'd seen in Helmut's basement. He wondered if there was more to the story. So he went back to the house just like before. Helmut politely invited him inside. Greene asked to see the trunks again, but Helmut said he didn't have them anymore. Instead, he showed Greene a letter which he claimed was from Augusta. The date at the top was April 25, 1917, which would have been about a week after Greene and the DOJ agents had first come by, and in curly, feminine looking handwriting, the letter said, Dear Mr. Schmidt, sorry I did not write to you as I was sick. I'm staying with old friends. Will you kindly send my trunks to the enclosed address? Thank you again for your kindness. Yours, Augusta Steinbach. When Greene finished reading, Helmut said that Augusta had also sent some money to cover the shipping costs. Notably, the address in the letter was East 63rd street, which was two streets away from the storage warehouse Agnes had visited. But Greene didn't know the warehouse's address. All he knew was that Augusta's trunks were back in storage, where she'd apparently asked Helmut to send them. As a final detail, Helmut also explained that Augusta was embarrassed about her failed engagement, which was why she'd been laying low and Sheriff Green bought the whole thing. He had no further questions. However, he did keep the letter just in case. After he left, Helmut realized he wasn't out of the woods yet because there was still one huge piece of evidence that could blow his entire story wide open. Augusta's body. Helmut waited until the next time Helen and Gertrude were out for the day. Then he grabbed a meat cleaver from the kitchen and went down to the basement. He dug Augusta's body out from under the porch through the small basement window. Then he dismembered her remains with the cleaver, Burned them in the furnace, and buried a few bones in his backyard. Now Helmut felt confident no one would ever discover the truth of what had happened to her.
- [24:33]
A
So let's talk about this. Because how was he able to live with Augusta's body at her porch like that? And for him, I think it's because he didn't view women or Augusta as people with rights or dignity. He dehumanized them entirely. He valued women only for their utility, as sources of money or status, labor or even emotional supply in some cases. And once that utility was exhausted, tragically, so were they. He also appeared emotionally shallow, which allowed him to live with her body without visible distress or even any kind of disruption to his daily life. Even then, it took multiple visits from the Hetheringtons or detectives before he felt any feeling, and in this case, urgency being the feeling, to dispose of her remains. He simply wasn't psychologically affected by the harm he caused at all. And it's likely he didn't even register it as harm at all, because his sense of entitlement just completely overrode empathy. And let's be honest, I don't think he had an ounce of that.
- [25:39]
B
That while Helmut indulged his morbid tendencies, Sheriff Green was having a change of heart. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He didn't understand why Augusta would move halfway across the country to get married just to suddenly change her mind. But he had no evidence of wrongdoing. Plus, he was buried under a mountain of homicide cases, which meant he had to turn his attention away from Augusta. Agnes, for her part, was furious when Greene wrote to her to say he believed Augusta was alive and well. She wanted more answers. And over the next few months, she wrote to green, begging him not to drop the investigation. She didn't hear back until september, when he said he had no updates, but asked for a sample of Augusta's handwriting. This only upset Agnes more Because she no longer had any of Augusta's letters. She couldn't understand why it took Greene so long to consider that the letter he'd seen was fake. Frustrated by his poor effort, Agnes enlisted the help of a detective in New York city instead. Captain Cornelius Willems. He agreed to help and started pouring through marriage ads and back issues of the New York Herald. Through a few standout phrases, Willems was able to determine that the same person had written several of them under different names. In mid December of 1917, Willems contacted law enforcement in Royal Oak to share his findings. However, knowing that Agnes had no luck with Sheriff Green, Willems went over his head and reached out to the District attorney, Glenn Gillespie. Gillespie was aware of the Augusta Steinbach case, but it was just one of several that were now on his plate, because earlier that month, Sheriff Greene had tragically taken his own life. So while Gillespie promised he'd get to Augusta's case, he told Willems there were others that took priority. When Agnes heard this, she got fed up with the authorities in Royal Oak dragging their feet. So she took matters into her own hands. Agnes pored over recent marriage ads in the newspapers, trying to find one similar in tone to the one Augusta had answered. She found one, and the man who wrote it said he lived in Detroit. Agnes started writing to him. She pretended to be a lonely New York aristocrat who loved fine things like precious jewelry. After some flirtation, the man sent her a gift in the mail. An enameled pocket watch. When Agnes opened the package and saw it, her heart jumped into her throat. She recognized the watch because it had belonged to Augusta.
- [28:27]
A
The fact that Helmut would send a new woman potential suitor for him one of his victim's watches right after a rather close call with authorities is really the behavior of arrogance. He believes he's smarter than everyone else and that consequences don't apply to him, which would make sense since he came so close to being caught and wasn't. His entitlement is likely so entrenched now, but this need to keep luring women, on the surface, might seem like greed alone, but it's deeper than that. It's compulsion. Now, his deception and his overall methods have been successful, and that's been reinforced to such a degree, he now needs to keep doing this for thrill, but also for a sense of mastery and for feelings of control, power, and superiority. And this is actually pretty typical psychologically for people like Helmut, especially after close calls like this. He's continuing a system that works for him.
- [29:30]
B
So given everything we know about Helmut, do you think it's possible he actually forgot who the pocket watch belonged to?
- [29:37]
A
I actually don't think that's the case. I think he knew exactly who it belonged to. Retaining items from victims is like trophy adjacent behavior. It's not classic trophy Collecting. But repurposing a victim's belongings can reinforce feelings of dominance and mastery. And for someone like Halmoon, it also carries a psychological thrill. He's sending these items while simultaneously holding a secret about where they came from that no one else knows. He didn't forget whose watch it was. I think he remembered he just underestimated the person he sent it to, which I love that for him, quite honestly.
- [30:16]
B
Helmut might have been playing fast and loose, but by early March of 1918, D.A. gillespie finally had the bandwidth to look into Augusta's case. He traveled to New York City with the acting sheriff to meet with Agnes and Captain Willems, who showed them the trunks in storage in the warehouse. Now that the authorities were there, they could open the trunks. And that's when Agnes noticed that some of Augusta's things were missing, including her jewelry box. As Willems looked closer, he spotted something else. A black high heel shoe with a stain on it that looked a lot like dried blood. Gillespie now started to fear the worst. That Augusta was in fact dead and that Helmut had been given ample time to conceal evidence. He rushed back to Royal Oak, where he questioned people who knew Helmut, including his neighbors, Jonathan and Lena Welch. The Welches told Gillespie about all the strange things they'd seen. Plus, Lena had also witnessed something new. Apparently, a few months after Augusta disappeared, there was thick black smoke. Smoke coming from the Schmidt's chimney. Lena said the stench was unlike anything she'd ever smelled. And that wasn't all. Later that same day, she saw Helen dump a box of ashes into their backyard before rinsing out the box in the stream. When Gillespie heard this, a sudden realization dawned on him. But he needed one more piece of the puzzle before he could reveal his suspicions to anyone else. He was went back to New York, where he managed to track down a sample of Augusta's handwriting. He then returned to Royal Oak and compared the sample to the letter Sheriff Green had taken from Helmut. Gillespie gave both letters to a handwriting specialist, who carefully looked them over and concluded that both letters were written by a woman, but not the same woman. Gillespie's suspicions were confirmed. Helmut had a female accomplice who'd helped him pose as Augusta and. And maybe Helen was that accomplice.
- [32:22]
A
We touched on this a little already, but accomplice behavior and coercive relationships often emerges from pressure, dependency, and fear. Helen wasn't acting alongside him as an equal. She was likely acting for him. Remember, Helmut only cared about the usefulness of women. Helen was useful, which is why she is still around. And because he would have her lie, deliver messages, write deceptive letters and deflect, it binds her to him for self protection. It's a relationship that's shaped by coercion and manipulation. And these dynamics, participation isn't always consent, it's often survival. And throughout this story, I've actually been wondering and worrying about what, if anything, he had his daughter Gertrude do, or what she's seen and had to endure. She's been there from the start. But if I, I had to guess, it's unlikely that he included her or Helen in much more beyond this. Because historically, serial offenders, when they have a family, it's the mask of sanity. They have them to keep the status quo, to hold up appearances, and to establish a sense of normalcy.
- [33:38]
B
Gillespie still had no idea what Helen's true involvement could be. Plus, there was the possibility that Helmut's daughter Gertrude was involved too, potentially, as you said. Even though the Welches never saw Gertrude doing anything suspicious, Gillespie knew he couldn't rule anything out. So he rounded up some officers, and on the morning of April 22, 1918, Helmut, Helen and Gertrude were all arrested. The man Gillespie had been chasing and his possible accomplices were finally in custody. However, Helmut Schmidt had one last trick up his sleeve. One that would help bury his secrets forever. Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that it wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts.
- [34:55]
A
When you take a sip of an.
- [34:56]
B
Ice cold Coke, zero sugar, you know you're getting real Coca Cola taste you love. And with zero sugar, it's so delicious, you can almost taste it with your ears. Hear those bubbles. Imagine them tingling on your tongue. Fizzy deliciousness. Listen to that cascading liquid. It's unmistakably tasty. All with zero sugar.
- [35:17]
A
Crisp, refreshing and ice cold.
- [35:20]
B
Ah, Coke.
- [35:22]
A
Zero sugar.
- [35:22]
B
Real Coca Cola taste, zero sugar.
- [35:25]
A
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- [35:30]
B
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- [35:36]
A
Well, every week, true crime obsessed wife Peyton discusses a new case with her Husband Garrett, who can't stand this obsession with true crime. Together, they cover one detailed true crime story, but with two wildly different reactions. She loves it and he hates it.
- [35:54]
B
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A
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- [36:19]
B
On the morning of April 22, 1918, Helmut, Helen, and Gertrude were all placed under arrest. District Attorney G. Glenn Gillespie thought one or both women had helped Helmut murder Augusta and hide the evidence. With the family in custody, police were now free to search every inch of 9 Oakdale Boulevard. Inside, they found clues that shed light not just on Augusta's murder, but on a years long con that Helmut used to target multiple women. First, they uncovered various marriage languages, licenses and land deeds under different names. Further proof that Helmut had been using aliases. Then they found piles of women's clothing and jewelry, including one piece in particular that caught Gillespie's attention. It was a gold pocket watch. When Gillespie opened it, he noticed scratch marks on the finish. When he looked closer, he realized the scrawls were actually a list of names and and dates. The most recent one being Augusta Steinbach. March 11, 1917. That was the same day Augusta had disappeared. Above that were other names, including Helmut's first wife, Anita Margarita Bersch and Irma Palatinus.
- [37:39]
A
And there it is. Helmut is someone driven by ownership, control and mastery. And given that, it was hard to believe that he wouldn't keep some kind of record or keepsake of his victim. The trophy adjacent behavior we discussed a few moments ago made sense, not just because it's sadistic, but because it was practical. He repurposed belongings from one victim to lure the next, which gave him psychological thrill, and in his mind functioned as risk management by offloading evidence while simultaneously attracting new victims. But this goes beyond that, particularly when you consider where he chose to do this. Watches symbolize time and value and status. Using a valuable object to catalog his victims elevates the act. I think in his mind because it turns his harm into something curated and perhaps even ceremonial. I think this is ego driven. He's recording his perceived accomplishments.
- [38:41]
B
Do you think Helmut was trying to remember his victims or keep track of his kills? Something else. Why would he write all their names like that?
- [38:49]
A
I think he's doing that, but not in a human sense. I think it's doing it to assert ownership. He dehumanizes his victims as he would have to in order to do what he does to them. And it's evident here, he reduced them to names and dates etched onto a watch. And that strips them of their individuality and turns them into events that he controlled. It's horrible.
- [39:13]
B
Gillespie was floored. Not only did it seem like Helmut had killed multiple women, but he'd kept track of every single one. The only question now was, where were their bodies? Gillespie and his team thought that at least Augusta might be buried on his property, so they ventured into the basement. There, an investigator noticed a window that had been boarded up. The window was underneath the front porch. He pried the planks loose, then climbed outside. After digging around a little bit, the investigators spotted something. Shreds of fabric from a woman's dress and a pile of rags that were covered in dried blood. They knew they were one step closer to finding Augusta. Finally, they moved their search into the backyard, where they found exactly the evidence they needed. First, investigators uncovered a partially burned bone fragment that looked like it was from a human hip bone. They kept digging, and soon they uncovered a bloody cleaver with long auburn hair stuck to it. Gillespie realized that Helmut had used the cleaver to dismember Augusta, but where was the rest of her? That's when he remembered what Lena welch said about the strong smell coming from Helmut's furnace. Gillespie rushed back down to the basement and examined the furnace. The front of it was covered in brown marks that had looked like rust, but he now realized it could be dried blood. Suddenly, it all clicked into place. Helmut had initially buried Augusta under the porch, but decided to destroy her body completely when he realized her body wouldn't fit inside the furnace. He dismembered her, burnt most of her remains, and buried the pieces that wouldn't fully burn. But gillespie knew he wouldn't have to theorize much longer. He had the killer in custody and was determined to get the truth out of him however he could. The next day, gillespie questioned Helmut in his cell, but he denied knowing anything about her death. Gillespie was tired of Helmut's games, so he calmly pulled out the cleaver and showed it to helmut without saying anything. Helmut turned white as a sheet. But he still wouldn't admit to anything. So Gillespie tried shifting gears to focus on irma instead. By that point, investigators had collected enough witness testimony to know that Irma had disappeared while living with Helmut at his last detroit address and that he'd told people she was his housekeeper. Now Gillespie asked Helmut what had really happened to her. Helmut swore that Irma left on her own and that he had nothing to do with her disappearance. Gillespie knew this was yet another dead end. But now that Helmut was finally talking, he turned the focus back to Augusta again. Again. This time, Helmut said Augusta had fallen in love with him and wanted him to leave Helen, but he refused. So Augusta ingested a white powder, then dropped dead. Helmut said he got scared and disposed of Augusta's body before his wife and daughter came home. He buried her under the porch until later, when he felt it was safe to dismember and burn her. Gillespie didn't believe for a second that Augusta had died by suicide. He was starting to lose patience with the constant cover ups and lies. He told Helmut he was going to give him a break, but that he'd be back soon to keep talking. Then, about 10 minutes later, he heard a thud from Helmut's cell. He ran over and came across a horrifying sight. Helmut lying face down in his cell in a pool of his own blood. The metal prison bed frame was lying on top of him. Helmut had apparently dropped it onto his own head. And there was something else, too. Etched on the wall in the same scrawl Gillespie had found on the gold pocket watch were the words wife and child innocent.
- [43:22]
A
Hellmuth's decision to take his own life while framing it as protecting his wife and child, I think is about his final act of control. He knew that confession or exposure were the only options left. And either way, the truth was going to surface. No amount of manipulation or deception could stop that. For someone so driven by narrative control, losing the ability to shape his own story was intolerable. And incarceration would have meant an additional profound loss of control. And this wasn't about remorse either. There's no indication he was motivated by guilt or empathy for his victims. And that also includes Helen and his daughter Gertrude. They're victims, too. Instead, this reflects an intolerance of shame and the loss of dominance. And when control was no longer possible externally, I think he chose to exert it internally over his own fate. So in that sense, suicide was an escape from accountability in general.
- [44:28]
B
What effect can it have on people involved in a case when they don't get the closure they're hoping for?
- [44:34]
A
Closure helps the brain organize trauma into a coherent narrative. Like this happened, it ended, and it got some kind of meaning from it, however small that might be. And when that doesn't happen, people Are left with ambiguous loss. There's no clear endpoint. There's no accountability or no sense of justice. So for families or loved ones, that can cause prolonged or complicated grief, which is a mix of sadness, anger, and rumination that doesn't resolve because the loss feels unfit. And for witnesses or community members, it can lead to distrust and cynicism Or a sense that the system failed. And for investigators or professionals, There can be a moral injury. For example, in this case, they know the truth, but aren't able to see it through to the end. Either way you look at it, or from whatever lens we're looking at it through, it has a ripple effect that can run far and deep.
- [45:32]
B
Helmut made it so that he would never have to tell anyone the whole truth. Whatever else the police or the families of his victims wanted to know, they'd have to try and figure it out themselves. Fortunately, not all of helmut's story Died with him, because investigators still had Helen and gertrude in custody. At first, helen denied knowing anything about augusta, and she insisted Helmut. Helmut was a good man who would never harm anyone. But eventually, investigators wore her down, and she started admitting to small details. She confessed to being the one to bury the cleaver in the backyard, but only because helmut had told her he'd used it to kill chickens. Helen also said she'd dumped Augusta's ashes in the stream, but that she didn't know what they actually were either. The more Helen opened up up, the more police explained to her what she had unknowingly been a part of. Eventually, they were able to convince Helen that her husband was a monster, and she came to believe, Possibly as self preservation, that she would have been his next victim. That's when she admitted that she'd been afraid of him all along and only followed his instructions because she was scared of what would happen if she didn't. Gertrude also claimed to know nothing about what happened to augusta or any of her father's other wives, including gertrude's mother, anita. However, her stories kept changing, which made investigators think she may have had a larger role in helping her father Than they'd initially thought. But just like with helen, the more evidence Gertrude was presented with, the more she started to crack. Finally, she also admitted that she'd seen Spent her entire life in fear of her father. In the end, Gillespie decided that neither Helen nor Gertrude Were culpable in helmut's crimes.
- [47:25]
A
Fear is a very powerful tool. It shifts the brain Almost instantly Into survival mode. And in situations like this, Especially when the source of fear Is also the person providing safety or resources or you're dependent on them asking questions or speaking up can genuinely feel dangerous. Fear discourages exploration because people become more focused on avoiding harm than on seeking truth. If someone in power appears volatile, intimidating, or capable of retaliation, the safest option can feel like doing exactly what you're told and nothing more. And over time, this becomes self reinforcing, similar to how phobias develop. Avoidance reduces anxiety, which teaches the brain that avoidance is protective. But in the long run, that avoidance strengthens the fear itself. The same mechanism happens here every time. They avoid confronting their fear or their reality, and they remain safe, relatively speaking, they reinforce that avoidance works. What started as self protection slowly becomes a habit until they're living inside a fear based system for so long that questioning it no longer feels possible. The danger isn't just what they're afraid of in the beginning. It's how completely fear reshaped their behavior and their judgment and just their overall sense of agency over time.
- [48:51]
B
I wanted to piggyback on our discussion before about why Helmut wanted to clear Gertrude and Helen that they were innocent. What do you now make of the fact that he seemed to strategically hide things from both of them, even while acting in plain sight or getting Helen to unwittingly help him? Why would he do that?
- [49:09]
A
I think this is about containment. If Helen or Gertrude fully understood what they were complying with, his manipulation and gaslighting would stop working. Clear, undeniable evidence allows people to trust their own perceptions. But ambiguity preserves control. As long as there was plausible deniability, which we know how much Helmut uses that as a tool, he could continue to distort reality, gaslighting them and keep them compliant. He needed to outsource risk to people who wouldn't or couldn't question it. Limiting what they knew was the most effective way he could do that while maintaining that mask of sanity, using them because utility was what mattered to him for a sense of normalcy to keep appearances. Confusion kept them dependent and relatively trusting of him, at least to some degree, which I think is evident here in it took the detectives time to get them to even admit any negative feelings toward him. That's evident that his control over them was very strong.
- [50:16]
B
Even though investigators couldn't learn the full truth from Helen and Gertrude, other witnesses soon came forward who could help them. After Helmut's death, the news of his marriage act and murders, even ones that were still only suspected, made national headlines. The media dubbed him America's Bluebeard, after the villain from a 17th century fairy tale where A wealthy man repeatedly married women and killed them. As the salacious story spread, some of Hellmuth's surviving victims, like Anna Haake and Adele Ulrich, contacted the police to share their stories. Helmut had married Anna and stolen all of her money before disappearing. He'd also married Adele and stolen all of her savings before putting her through severe emotional abuse and trying to kill her before leaving her at her brother's house. Based on their testimonies, investigators were able to piece together more of Helmut's life and possible crimes before he came to Royal Oak. They located the farm in New Jersey. Jersey where he'd lived with Anita and his bookkeeper Margarita, at the same time, and later Adele. Officers went there and dug up the floor of the house. While they didn't find any remains, they did find a layer of quicklime in a spot underneath the kitchen where Helmut had once installed a new floor. This made them think he buried at least one body there before potentially moving it somewhere else. Then, In Maine in 1918, investigators searched the property of Helmut's first address in Detroit on Glendale Avenue. They dug up the entire lawn before digging under the house's basement. In a corner. They finally made a breakthrough discovery. The body of Irma Palatinus wrapped in a canvas tarp. Investigators now knew for sure that Helmut Schmidt had killed Augustus Steinbach and and Irma Palatinus and suspected that he was responsible for Anita and Margarita's sudden disappearances. However, based on the sheer volume of marriage ads Helmut placed, investigators believed he could have been responsible for many more murders. We may never know Helmut Schmidt's full victim count, but we do know the truth about the kind of person he really was. And it's all thanks to to the sheer determination of those who refused to give up. Without Agnes Dominecki and the Hetheringtons, Augusta's memory might have been completely lost. And all of the other women's stories would have been buried with it. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next time for a deep dive into the mind of another killer.
- [53:12]
A
Serial Killers and Murderous Minds is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on all social media rimehouse. And don't forget to rate, review and follow Serial Killers and Murderous Minds wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference.
- [53:34]
B
And to enhance your listening experience, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode of Serial Killers and Murderous Minds ad free along with early access to each thrilling two part series. Serial Killers and Murderous Minds is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson and forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios, this episode was brought to life by the Serial Killers and Murderous Minds team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Lori Marinelli, Natalie Pertoski, Sarah Camp, Sarah Batchelor, Dana Rossi, Sarah Tardif and Kerry Murphy. Thank you for listening. Rover makes it easy to book pet care whenever you need it. Connect with trusted pet sitters in the Rover app today. Get $10 off your first Rover booking with code Rover PET10. Additional terms and conditions apply. Rover Loving pet care in your neighborhood.