This is the documented grave of a convicted criminal. Information below comes from public records.
Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens
1925-08-12 โ 2013-05-07Convicted 1987
Buried at:
Union Cemetery , Maplewood, MN ยท Block 29, Lot 644, Space 3
Criminal History (Public Record)
Third-degree murder conviction in 1987 for the April 1965 beating death of her adopted son Dennis Craig Jurgens. High-profile case. Sentenced to a maximum of 25 years. Served approximately 8 years and was paroled in 1995. Lived quietly afterward in the Stillwater, Minnesota area.
Background
Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens (1925โ2013) was convicted in one of Minnesota's most notorious child abuse cases. She was the adoptive mother who brutally beat her 3-year-old adopted son Dennis Craig Jurgens to death in 1965 in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The original investigation was inadequate. Convicted in 1987 after the case was reopened.
Sources & Verification
Convicted 1987 in Minnesota of third-degree murder for the 1965 death of Dennis Jurgens. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_Jurgens . Book: "A Death in White Bear Lake" by Barry Siegel (Bantam 1990). Paroled 1995. Died May 7, 2013 age 87. Buried Union Cemetery, Maplewood. Find a Grave memorial 134346102: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134346102/lois_germaine_josephine-jurgens (exact plot Block 29 Lot 644 Space 3 and shared marker photo). Additional: Star Tribune coverage 1987โ1995; 1992 NBC TV movie "A Child Lost Forever."
All information on this site is drawn from publicly available records. We strongly recommend verifying directly with the cemetery and primary sources before making any decisions.
No other flagged graves found within 5 miles of this location in our current database.