One Too Many Dead Relatives May Raise Suspicions

P.J. Nelson looks back on the mid-century crimes of Anjette Lyles, who poisoned her loved ones for the insurance money. https://t.co/RWRcF7y1fw

— CrimeReads (@CrimeReads) January 11, 2025

Remember the other day when I theorized that arsenic poisonings aren't as common since we developed methods to detect it? There are plenty of exceptions, especially when there's no reason to suspect foul play, and it may take a string of dead family members to draw attention to the perpetrator.

In the 1950s, Anjette Lyles made a name for herself in Macon, Georgia, by running a popular downtown restaurant. She not only served good food, but welcomed and got to know her customers one by one. Anjette was no stranger to tragedy. Her first husband, who had a drinking and gambling problem, died of a mysterious illness. A few years later, her second husband died as well and left Anjette insurance money. Then her mother-in-law died soon after adding Anjette to her will. There were whispers about the deaths, but they didn't come to the attention of the authorities until Anjette's nine-year-old daughter Marcia also died of a mysterious illness. Oddly for a child her age, Marcia had life insurance. She also got a post-mortem exam, which led to the exhumations of Anjette's other three deceased family members. Read the story of Anjette Lyles at CrimeReads.  -via Damn Interesting

If you'd rather just listen to the story, there's a woman who will tell it in a perfect gossipy fashion in a Facebook video.