293: The Urdanivia Children

One October afternoon in 1959, an apartment building owner in Allentown, Pennsylvania, noticed the unsettling smell of gas seeping into the hallways. As he traced it to one unit, he had no idea the heartbreaking discovery awaiting him inside…

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:55):
In the heart of Pennsylvania lies Allentown, the state's third
largest city. It was settled in seventeen sixty two and
played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War in Civil War,
The city's population boomed in the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries as it became a hub for silk, textile,
and manufacturing industries. By the post World War Two era, however,

(01:21):
Allentown was grippling with economic downturns and the challenges of
urban poverty. These issues would continue to shape the lives
of the residents in the decades to follow. One afternoon
in October of nineteen fifty nine, the quiet life of
an apartment building owner in Allentown was interrupted by the
unmistakable smell of gas. As he moved towards the source

(01:44):
of the smell, he couldn't have foreseen that he was
about to make a discovery as disturbing as it was heartbreaking.
Behind one of the apartment doors, a tragedy would soon unfold,
laying bare the invisible struggles of poverty, survival, and despair.

(02:17):
Ruth Mayer Danivia felt like she'd hit the jackpot today.
She married jose Er Danivia, a Peruvian diplomat. His air
of refinement and worldly experiences seemed worlds away from her
small town roots in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Ruth was a typical
All American girl at the time. She had come from

(02:37):
a good family and graduated from Allentown High School in
nineteen thirty five. She'd been a popular student, and she
always received good grades. To Jose was a glimpse into
an extraordinary life, a life of international intrigue, high society,
and wealth. Jose was the son of a Peruvian army

(02:59):
Carl Ernol, educated in the boarding schools of Germany and Switzerland.
The couple had met in the bustling FBI office in
San Francisco, California, where Ruth had been working as a
clerk at the time Jose had been stationed at the
Peruvian consulate there. After a whirlwind courtship, they married, marking

(03:20):
the beginning of Ruth's new life alongside a diplomat with
one foot in Peru and the other in Washington, d c.
Settling into their home in San Francisco, Ruth and Jose's
family quickly grew with the birth of their five children,
Christina Ruth, Lusaille Lewis, Anna Marie, and Carol Jose's position

(03:41):
as first Secretary at the Peruvian Consulate came with all
the privileges and social invitations a young mother from Pennsylvania
could never have dreamed of. They attended glamorous events in Washington,
dined at the embassies of foreign dignitaries, and even shook
hands with President Dwight Eisenhower and former President Harry Truman.

(04:04):
Their life was indeed charmed not only by wealth, but
also by the stability that Jose's career offered, especially in
a world that was still railing from the economic aftermath
of the Great Depression in World War II. Jose's monthly
salary was an impressive six hundred dollars at about six
thousand dollars in today's money, and it was tax free,

(04:26):
adding another layer of security to the family's lives as
a diplomat. Jose didn't pay us social security either, and
for a time it felt as though their luck would
never run out. Then, in nineteen fifty seven, Jose received
a new assignment. He was to become Consul General in Yokohama, Japan,

(04:48):
an appointment that would only enhance his already successful career
Ruth was gilly at the thought of immersing herself and
the children in Japanese culture of bustling markets, in cherry blossoms,
of everything exotic and unfamiliar. But tragically, fate intertwined. Jose
had been suffering from heart problems for several years, and

(05:10):
while at San Francisco Airport, ready to board his flight
for Japan, he collapsed. He had suffered a sudden, fatal
heart attack. Ruth in the children's world shattered in an instant.
The following months were a blur of grief and hearsh realizations.
Without Jose's salary, Ruth and the children were left almost penniless.

(05:33):
Friends who had once welcomed them into their homes grew distant,
as if death and misfortune were contagious. Forced to leave
the life that she had known, Ruth packed up the
family and moved back to Allentown in Pennsylvania, where they
rented a cramped third floor apartment on North Seventh Street.
She found work wherever she could, juggling two jobs to

(05:55):
keep food on the table and the lights switched on.
Ruth's children were now adjusting to a modest life. The
older ones, Anna, Marie, Christine, and Ruth enrolled at Sacred
Heart School. Here, their academic dedication and nate, courteous manners
quickly earned the admiration of the nuns and teachers. Sister

(06:18):
Eberharra described them as above average I praise in that
time and place. She recalled that they were always neatly dressed,
did their lessons diligently, and got on well with their classmates.
On the surface, Ruth seemed to be coping well, that
trouble was bubbling underneath. On the morning of the fourteenth

(06:52):
of October nineteen fifty nine, Ruth may Ardanivia arrived at
her brother William Strawbridge home. She was there to collect
two of her children, nine year old Lewis and four
year old Carol Miriam, who had been staying with William
and his wife. Her other children, twelve year old Christine,
ten year old Ruth Lusail and seven year old Anna

(07:13):
Marae rore Eddiot home recently. All of the children had
battled a severe cold, and Ruth told her brother that
she planned to take them for a check up with
the doctor's. William had sensed Ruth's growing fatigue in recent months,
but her assurance that she had things under control had
kept him from pressing further. He knew that his sister

(07:35):
was struggling to make ends mate. That's why he offered
to care for two of her children that evening. As
night fell, Ruth moved quietly through her modest yet clean apartment,
taddying up in the dim light. At about nine thirty pm,
she went into the kitchen. Her hands were trembling as

(07:55):
she prepared a mixture of crushed sleeping tablets, one hundred
in total, blended into water and sugar. She knew just
how potent they were. Years ago, her late husband Hose,
had given her one for a toothache, and she'd slept
an entire day a way. Tonight, she had allocated twenty

(08:16):
two tablets for Christine, thirteen for each of the other children,
and twenty six for herself. Ruth went into her children's bedroom,
urging them to change into their pajamas. She explained that
the drink she'd prepared would suit their cold symptoms, helping
them all to rest. The children protested the bitter taste,

(08:39):
their face contorting as they tried to swallow it down
and Roushruth returned to the kitchen, quickly stirring an orange
juice to mask the bitterness, with peppermint patties to chase
the drink. The children complied, each finishing their glass under
Ruth's gentle but persistent encouragement. As the children climbed into bed,

(09:01):
Ruth's heart pounded with a painful mixture of dread and
resigned calm. She returned to the kitchen and sat down.
In a final act, Ruth panned a farewell letter to
her father and brother. Her words were both apology and confession,
with one solemn request. If any of her children survived,

(09:23):
she wanted them to be raised by William and his wife.
She finished with the heartbreaking play please Understand. When she'd
written the last word, she took her own glass and
drank deeply. She then pressed kisses on each of her
children's foreheads, whispering assurances that they would all feel better
in the morning. Ruth then climbed into bed, closed her eyes,

(09:46):
expecting the darkness to take her. But when Ruth opened
her eyes had passed. She awoke groggy, the metallic taste
of the drug lingering in her mouth and her mind
in a daze. Slowly, she rose, feeling away in the

(10:11):
pit of her stomach, As she passed her daughter, Christine's room,
she noticed Christine was lying unusually still. Stepping closer, Ruth's
eyes fell on her daughter's face, now blackened and lifeless.
She was beginning to decompose. A shattering realization swept over her.

(10:33):
Christine was dead, so with the others. Ruth's body shook
with the horror of her success and her survival. When
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promo code Morbidology. Overcome with despair, Ruth stumbled into the
kitchen and a glass from the counter and smashed it
against the sink with the jagged charge. She tried to
cut her wrists, hoping to end her torment once and

(13:09):
for all, but even this act seemed cursed. Weak and bleeding,
Ruth turned on the gas jets, letting the fumes fill
the room. She lay on the cold kitchen floor and inhaled.
Once she had inhaled what she believed would have been enough,
she turned the valves off. She didn't want to hurt

(13:29):
anybody else in the apartment complex. Ruth then lay back
down on the floor and waited for death to finally
release her. Downstairs, Arthur Peter, the building owner, noticed the
unmistakable smell of gas wafting through the hallways. With an

(13:54):
agging sense of dread, he called the building's caretaker, Robert Schaeffer,
and asked him to investigate. Robert climbed the worn, creaky stairs,
the odor intensifying with each step, until he reached the
third floor, where it was almost unbearable. He followed the
smell to ruth Erdinavia's apartment, Finding the door slightly ajar Warily,

(14:19):
he stepped inside. The apartment was still in dark. Robert
twitched on the flashlight, casting its beam down the quiet hallway.
He called out, but received no response. Robert moved further
into the apartment, the smell of gas thick in the air.
As he swept the light across the first bedroom. His

(14:42):
beam landed on something that made his heart skip blood.
Pulled beneath the bed, he raised the light, illuminating the small,
unmoving forms of two children lying beneath the covers, their
skin blackened by decomposition. The site was far too much
to bear. Robert bolted from the apartment, nearly tumbling down

(15:08):
the stairs in horror. The building didn't have a phone,
so he sprinted to the nearest business that he could find,
Allied Electronics, where he rushed inside breathlessly pleading for help.
Rudolf Zetto, the store's owner, quickly grasped the gravity of
the situation. He darted back with him to the apartment,

(15:30):
determined to open a window before the gas could endanger
anybody else. Rudolf hurried into the kitchen, forcing the window open.
As he turned around, his eyes fell on Ruth. She
was lying on the kitchen floor, unmoving, her skin pale

(15:50):
and her breathing shallow. To a shock, however, Ruth was
still alive. Within minutes, officer George Kurtz and Sam mule
Entler arrived, their footsteps urgent as they found Ruth in
a semi conscious state on the floor. They kneeled beside her,
pressing an oxygen mask to her face, but she weakly struggled,

(16:14):
pushing it away, as though trying to resist the life
they were trying to save. Reluctantly, the officers had to
restrain her, cuffing her wrists as they worked to revive her.
Once Ruth was conscious, the officers then moved from room
to room, bracing themselves for what lay beyond each doorway.
In one room after another, they uncovered the bodies of

(16:37):
her five children, each one beyond hope, beyond saving. Some
of the most seasoned officers would later say that they
had never seen anything so haunting. But as the investigation
into why a mother would kill her five children unfolded,
Ruth's story began to emerge. It wasn't just a scene

(16:58):
of horror. It was the unraveling of a story marked
by despair, loneliness, and a mother's heartbreaking fall from hope.
After being stabilized at Sacred Heart Hospital, Ruth Mayer d
Nivia sat down with police officers. Her demeanor was calm

(17:23):
but hollow. When questioned about what had happened, Ruth was open.
She said to the officers, I did it. I know
it's a sin. If only I could have gone with them.
The only regret I have is that I didn't die.
Ruth went on to explain her struggles. Life had become

(17:45):
a steady descent after her husband, Hosay's death. For almost
two years, she had contemplated ending at all, purchasing sleeping pills,
with a dark contingency in mind. If she couldn't provide
a stable life for her children, she would free them
and herself from the suffering. She admitted that the weight

(18:05):
of supporting her family alone had left her desperate, isolated,
and without options. With few social welfare agencies to turn
to and nearly no access to child care, Ruth had
taken on two jobs to keep her family afloat. Her
mornings wogan early as she prepared her children for school,
and her day stretched long as she worked from eight

(18:28):
a m. Until four p m. As a clerk at
the same hospital that now held her in custody. In
the afternoons, her children waited in the hospital's ante room
until she could bring them home. Ruthther being open with
her co workers, telling them how perfectly they are suited her.
They allowed her to be there for her children even

(18:49):
as she struggled to keep the family going. But the
reality was harsh. Ruth's earnings barely covered the essentials, let
alone rent or medical bills. Jose's family in Praviurri had
sent small monthly payments to help with rent, but even
that wasn't enough to stave off her anxiety. After her

(19:10):
husband's death, Ruf had received a mere two hundred and
fifty dollars, and because Jose hadn't paid into US Social Security,
she wasn't eligible for survivor benefits. The small savings that
she and her husband had accumulated if operated quickly, leaving
her drawing in financial strain. She said to the officers,

(19:32):
I went everywhere to get help, but I couldn't get any.
Ruth reconted her repeated attempts to seek aid. She said
that she had applied to the Family Service of the
United Fund, but she felt her marriage to a foreigner
who biased them against her. The Department of Public Assistance
was just as unyielding, telling her she would only qualify

(19:53):
for help if she gave up her job, a demand
that Ruth simply couldn't afford to meet. She spoke of
her children with the officers, A painful tenderness entered her tone.
She stated, they're better off now with their father. They
won't have to live in a pig sty or eat
inferior food. I'm tired tired of begging. Nobody helps a widow.

(20:20):
Detective al du Candella sat down with Ruth for ours,
his empathy stirred by the bleak tale that she had shared.
He later described his conversation with Ruth as one that
haunted him long after he left her at the hospital room.
He later said, I'll never forget it. She bared her
soul to me. It turned me gray. Overnight, as news

(20:50):
of Ruth's despair spread through the community, those who had
known her and her children were devastated. For Manny, the
revelation of Ruth's dire struggles felt like a person failing.
Neighbors and friends expressed this belief that she'd been suffering
silently for so long, hidden behind a composed exterior. Ruth
had been a proud and private woman. For you had

(21:12):
ever guessed that she was struggling so badly. Pastor Leo
Fink of Sacred Heart, the church that Ruth had attended
with her children, expressed sorrow and regret when he said,
if she needed help, if you couldn't afford to care
for the children, we would have done it for her.

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her everyday life, Ruth had always seemed dignified and put together,
her appearance well kept, and her demeanor inviting. Mary Schellenberg,
a co worker from Sacred Heart Hospital, remembered her fondly.

(24:06):
She recollected, you could tell she was a lady. She
was meticulous, and she never made mistakes. Everything she did
was done with care. Ruth's children, too, were always dressed neatly,
with bright eyes and cheerful spirits. After Ruth was discharged
from the hospital, she was taken to court and arraigned

(24:28):
on five charges of murder. Dressed in all black, she
appeared dazed and her expression was distant. Friends and family
had secured her a defense attorney, Theodore Gardner, but when
Ruth met him, she barely looked at him before blurting out,
I don't want an attorney. Tears began to fall as

(24:50):
she quietly added, if I refuse counsel, I suppose you'll
have to appoint one anyway. Her resignation to her fate
was clear. She seemed past any desire to defend herself.
Following the hearing, Ruth was taken to Allentown Police headquarters
for booking, and then she was transferred to Lehigh County Prison.

(25:11):
The warden, George Albright, observed her closely. He said of her,
she made it clear to me today when she came
here that she was going to keep trying to take
her life until she succeeds. To protect Ruth from herself,
they placed her on suicide watch, yet the prison, which
was ill equipped to handle someone in Ruth's fragile mental state,
was only a temporary solution. Albright lobbied to have her

(25:35):
transferred to a state mental hospital where she could receive
more specialized care. He was convinced that it was her
only chance of stability. That evening, Ruth barely moved in
her cell, sitting silently and staring into space. She refused
all food and only drank a cup of coffee. Despite

(25:57):
offers from District Attorney Paul McGinley to allow her to
attend her children's funeral, Ruth never asked to go. The
warden recalled, she told me, all this talk doesn't matter.
My children are gone and I'm going with them. The

(26:22):
morning after her arraignment, Ruth was quietly transported from jail
to Alan Town State Hospital. Her transfer followed the recommendation
of two physicians, doctor John Boyer and doctor Thomas Weeber,
who believed that Ruth needed close monitoring. In their report,
they noted a chilling observation if the opportunity presents itself,

(26:45):
she would again attempt self destruction. They described Ruth as
coherent with censorium clear, although she had mentioned hearing voices
during the night. The doctors remark that while they didn't
see her as criminals insane, psychiatric evaluation would be necessary
to determine her true state of mind. As Ruth entered

(27:08):
the confines of the State hospital, our five children were
led to rest in Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. A
crowd of twelve hundred mourners gathered to pay their respects,
including classmates of the young children. The church was solemn
as Pastor Leo Fink led the service, acknowledging the tragedy

(27:28):
with words of compassion. He said to the congregation, it's
not for us to judge. The teaching of the church
is not to condemn the sinner, but to condemn the sin.
His voice softened as he looked on at the five
small white caskets and said, many hearts have been opened
by the deaths of these five little children. In our

(27:51):
future lives, these angels unaware will bring us to a
full realization of our purpose in life, namely to know,
love and serve God. After the service, the children were
led to rest in a single grave at Sacred Hearts
Cemetery donated by the church, buried together in order of

(28:11):
their ages Lewis, Carol, Miriam, Christine, Ruth, Lucille, and Anna
Marie were lowered gently into the earth. Ruth wasn't present
at the funeral, unaware of the quiet procession and the
gathering of mourners who had come to bid farewell to
her children. Yet days later she began showing signs of

(28:31):
progress at the State Hospital. Doctor Howard Fiedler, the hospital's superintendent,
spoke of her tentative adjustment. He stated she's cooperating and
seemed concerned about the future. He observed that Ruth appeared
to be less withdrawn than when she first arrived. Her

(28:51):
days were now shaped by the hospital's routines, and doctor
Fiedler met with her daily, carefully noting her responses and
her demeanor. But her case, he admitted, was complex and elusive.
He stated, one day I believe I have a lead
to the correct diagnosis, but the next I throw it
all away and start over. Doctor Feedler explained that he

(29:16):
would likely need six to eight weeks to thoroughly understand
Ruth's mental state. By February, Ruth's fate was still undecided,
and her analysis at the State Hospital continued. Early that month,
a small but poignant gesture took place. Mister and missus
John Zaginflus, owners of an Allentown monument firm, donated a

(29:39):
gravestone for Ruth's five children. Carved in stone, the headstone
depicted Jesus cradling two children, a tender image meant to
honor the lives that were lost too soon. The top
of the stone read Ardinavia children, followed by their names,
birth years, and the date that they had all died.
Blow was inscribed passage from the Book of Matthew, which read,

(30:03):
suffer the little children to come on to me, for
if such is the kingdom of Heaven. That same month,
the confidential psychiatric report on Ruth's mental state was submitted
to the Lehigh County Court and the District Attorney's office.
While the details remained sealed, doctor Fieeddler provided a glimpse

(30:23):
into the proceedings. He said, we placed our psychiatric findings
in their hands. The court's next steps would depend heavily
on these findings, sparking a new wave of anticipation throughout
the community. Would Ruth's stand trial deemed responsible for her actions,
or would she be declared mentally unfit, potentially closing the

(30:45):
door on prosecution and opening an entirely different path for Ruth.
The outcomes were starkly different. She could either be found
competent and face trial, or be ruled in competent and
either returned to the state hospital or attempt to rebuild
some semblance of a life outside of confinement. Then in March, however,

(31:07):
the gravity of her situation intensified. The district attorney announced
that he was pursuing five separate indictments, one for each
of Ruth's children. If she were a stand trial, she
would face not just one, but five consecutive trials. Each
would be an excruciating retelling of her actions and a

(31:28):
direct reckoning with the loss of each individual child. As
the community absorbed the news, many wondered what justice would
look like for Ruth, a grieving mother now branded a murderer,
caught between the realms of mental illness and criminal responsibility.

(31:53):
The preliminary hearing rolled around on the twenty ninth of March.
Ruth appeared calm and collected until the testimony about the
murders began. She started to sob uncontrollably and nervously twisted
the crumpled tissue in her hands. District Attorney George Joseph
stated that Ruth had wilfully, deliberately, and with malice afterthought,

(32:17):
murdered her five children. It was revealed that Ruth had
indeed been ruled competent and prepared to stand trial. During
the hearing, Detective Aldo candiad testified about Ruth's mindset in
the aftermath of the murders. He said that she appeared
to be clear and sharp as she detailed the murders
at Secret Heart Hospital the night that the bodies were found.

(32:42):
In both a written and oral statement. He said that
Ruth admitted to giving the children sleeping pills and a drink.
He was asked whether he had ever questioned any of
the doctors at the hospital about Ruth's mental condition before
he took her statement. He confirmed that he hadn't, but
he said that it wasn't necessary for an officer to
ask for such a statement. It was then disclosed that

(33:06):
when the bodies and Ruth were found, the children had
already been dead for six days. However, doctor Donald's stater,
the pathologist, testified that he didn't do an autopsy because
the bodies were much too decomposed. On the morning of
the sixth of April, Ruth returned to court and was
formally indicted on the five murders. She was charged with

(33:30):
murder and voluntary manslaughter. Through her defense attorney, she declared
that she was standing mute, something which amounts to an
official plea if not guilty. As each indictment was read allowed,
Ruth appeared to WinCE at the sound of each child's
name before she began to cry. It was expected that

(33:51):
the trial would get under way, but there was a
change in circumstances. Ruth instead changed her plea to guilty
to a general charge of murder. Her defense attorney, Theodore Gardner,
announced the plea, but said that it was against his advice,
but at his client's assistance. He stated, her continued insistence

(34:12):
leaves me no alternative but to request the court's permission
to have the defendant to enter please of guilty to
the five indictments. During the earlier jury selection, it became
clear that the defense was going to launch an insanity defense.
They had planned on including medical testimony to show that
Ruth was not mentally competent when she killed her children.

(34:34):
Judge Hennenger granted the permission and Ruth immediately signed the
pleas of guilty. The court then announced that three judges
would hear the testimony and then determine whether Ruth was
guilty of first, second, or third degree murder in the
deaths of her children. After the court hearing, Ruth was
remanded to Lehigh County Prison. The next morning, she returned

(34:59):
to court where the testimony was presented. The first witness
was doctor Donald Stater, the pathologist. He said that the
dosage Ruth had given her children would always be fatal,
adding that their bodies were decomposed. Another witness, Captain Aldo Candea,
testified about the oral and written confession that Ruth had

(35:21):
made During the proceedings. District Attorney Joseph said that the
psychiatrists had ruled that Ruth knew right from wrong at
the time of the murders. In Pennsylvania at the time,
this was the test for insanity under a new law.
He argued that therefore, Ruth was fully responsible for what
she had done. Defense Attorney Gardner refuted this. He said

(35:47):
that the staff at the hospital had actually determined that
she wasn't responsible for the murders or her suicide attempt
because of her mental condition. After testimony was presented, the
three judges, James Henningdon Kenneth Coch and Henry Shreder, announced
that they had found Ruth guilty of second degree murder
in the deaths of her five children. However, they also

(36:09):
ruled that she had been suffering from some sort of
mental illness at the time of the murders. Despite this,
they said that under true point of Pennsylvania law, such
mental illness would have to be above her responsibility for
the crime. Ruth was then sentenced to an indeterminate term
at the Industrial Home for Women at Munsey. The judges

(36:31):
said that her release would be left to the discretion
of the authorities at the Industrial Home, she was returned
to prison, where she remained until the twelfth of April,
when she was transported to begin serving her sentence. After
her transfer to the Industrial Home for Women at Munsey,

(36:53):
Ruth settled into her new life in prison. She adapted
to her surroundings by focusing on learning new skills, notably
becoming proficient with IBM equipment, which allowed her to work
in the prisons administrative offices. Ruth regularly met with various psychiatrists, psychologists,
and doctors gradually gaining insight into her emotional struggles. These

(37:17):
sessions marked the beginning of her journey towards understanding and
controlling her own emotions, an endeavor that would shape her
life in the years that followed. In nineteen sixty four,
Ruth applied for parole for the first time. However, after
reviewing her case, the Parole Board decided to deny her release.

(37:37):
Their decision rested on the assessment that there was no
evidence of a change in her general makeup or her
ability to control her emotional problems. They decided that Ruth
would need more time before being reconsidered, and established a
two year period before she could apply again. Although her
initial application for parole was unsuccessful, this period proved to

(37:59):
be pivotal for she continued to work on herself, reportedly
responding well to therapy and exhibiting significant improvements in her
emotional regulation and mental health. Two years later, in January
of nineteen sixty seven, Ruth was once more eligible for parole.

(38:20):
This time, the Parole Board found her case more favorable.
Ruth's progress in therapy was evident, and she appeared more
stable and adjusted than she had been in years past.
As a result, Ruth was released on parole, allowing her
to step out of the prison walls and back into society.
She quickly found employment at a hospital in central Pennsylvania.

(38:44):
In July of that year, Paul Gennart, the chairman of
the State Parole Board, commented on her progress, stating, she's
doing very well on the outside. He added that if
Ruth continued to adapt positively, the Parole Board would consider
ending her supervision sooner than anticipated. However, they retained the

(39:04):
authority to extend their oversight until October of nineteen seventy nine.
Over the years, Ruth continued to do well, and her
parole supervision eventually ended, granting her full independence. After her
parole was lifted, Ruth faded into obscurity. Her final public

(39:25):
communication was sent to the office of her former defense attorney,
Theodore Gardner. Gardner's secretary, Betty Grishot, remembered Ruth fondly, describing
her as a lovely person. Really. In her letter, Ruth
shared a moving statement about her plans, expressing her intention

(39:46):
to devote her life to children. After this letter, however,
Ruth ceased all contact with her attorney's office, and very
little is known about her life beyond that point. Even
Ruth's family reportedly had no knowledge of her life after
she left Munsey. Ruth eventually passed away in nineteen eighty

(40:07):
two and was buried in the same cemetery as her
five children. In the decades since her case, opinions on
Ruth may Ardanivia's story have remained deeply divided. Some believe
that the sentence she received was fortune lenient for the
enormity of her crimes, feeling that justice wasn't fully served. Others, however,

(40:31):
see her survival while her children died as the true punishment.
Reflecting on the case, Detective Aldo Kandia remarked, I thought
that the sentence was trivial. For the rest of her life,
she would be condemned to come apart every time she'd
hear a child laugh, say a child at play. Well,

(41:15):
Bessie's That is it for this episode of Morbidology. As always,
thank you so much for listening, and I'd like to
say I'm massive thank you to my new supporter up
on Patreon, Scott. This episode was a little bit different
than the cases I normally cover, as it happened in
the nineteen fifty so I am super curious to know
your thoughts. Please feel free to reach out on social

(41:36):
media and let me know if you like hearing about
these older cases. I recorded this episode towards the end
of November and it's being released sometime in February, So
if everything goes correctly, I should be giving birth to
my baby in less than four weeks. So again, thank
you everybody for all of the support over the past

(41:58):
five years that Morbidology has a round. I really do
appreciate each and every one of you. Remember to check
us out at morbidology dot com for more information about
this episode and to read some true Grime articles. Until
next time, take care of yourselves, stay safe, and have
an amazing week.