Death year was supposed to be written as 1977.

Roberta Elder was an American serial killer who killed members of her family and other close to her in her care, mostly taking out life insurance policies on them to gain money. She was discovered in 1952 after autopsies revealed that her latest husband, Rev William Elder, and his two daughters, Annie Pearl and Fannie Mae Elder has arsenic poisoning in their systems. She was charged and convicted on all three murders and sentenced to life in prison. She was given the nickname "Mrs. Bluebeard", after a French tale of a character called "Mr. Bluebeard", a wealthy man with a blue beard who would marry women, then murders them.

Death certificates for her family and others in her care were brought up and based on the causes of deaths of her victims, their illnesses were likely to have actually been symptoms of arsenic poisoning instead. Roberta's case was around the same time as infamous American female serial killer Nannie Doss, who also killed family and took out life insurance policies on her victims.

Roberta Elder and Nannie Doss were both very similar to each other, they even both had southern American farming backgrounds, but the difference between the two women were that Roberta Elder was black, while Nannie Doss was white. Roberta Elder's story failed to get as much coverage as it should have, which resulted in the victims not being known about either, it is still unknown as to why Roberta Elder wanted to kill, as she never confessed, and claimed her innocence, and no one ever bothered to look into her background.

Nannie Doss on the other hand had a lot of coverage, and even discussed her childhood and why she was most likely physiologically the way she was. Her story was covered all over the papers and is still discussed today. I will place Roberta Elder's story below.

Roberta Elder was born Roberta Brown in Watkinsville, Georgia, United States, in 1909. She was the daughter of James and Callie (Davis) Brown. The Browns were a black- farmers in the American south, James and Callie's parents being former enslaved people. James and Callie Brown had fifteen children, Roberta being the eleventh child.

By age eleven, Roberta had not attended school, but had learned to read and write at home. On October 4, 1924, at the age of fifteen, Roberta Brown married Willie Thurmond, in Watkinsville. While living in Watkinsville, they had a daughter, Lillie, who died as an infant. She was the first victim of Roberta Elder. Roberta and Willie also had a son in Watkinsville, James Willie, born August 19, 1925.

The Thurmond family moved to Atlanta, where they settled at 2126 Harris Street. On March 19, 1931, Roberta gave birth to her youngest child, a daughter who was named Willie Mae. On April 14, 1931, at 10 P.M. Willie Mae Thurmond was dead at twenty-five days old, her cause of death was put as acute bronchial pneumonia, she was Roberta's second victim. Sometime after Willie Mae's death, Willie and Roberta Thurmond divorce, and Roberta remarries to John Woodward, while she retains custody of James.

The Thurmond-Woodward family settled at 519 Bedford place, and John worked as a laborer. On December 2, 1938, he was admitted to Grady Hospital in Atlanta, as he was very ill. He died on December 4 at 4 A.M. His cause of death was listed as possible chorionic nephritis and uremia. He was thirty-six years old, and the third victim of Roberta Elder. Just four months later, on April 10, 1939, a physician attended a sick James Thurmond, believing he was treating him for influenza.

The physician last saw James alive on June 12, when he was put into the care of his mother, Roberta Woodward, at 519 Bedford Place. On June 26, 1939, at 1:10 A.M., James Willie Thurmond died aged thirteen, the fourth victim of Roberta Elder. His cause of death was listed as post influenza and malnutrition. Roberta Woodward, now widowed with all of her children dead, married James Garfield Crane in the early 1940's. James was a train porter, and a widower, him and his previous wife had five children, with four surviving.

James and Roberta Crane made a home together at 1328 Eason Street. On October 3, 1941, Nada Belle Crane, James's daughter, gave birth to a son, Jimmie Lee Crane Hunter, who was fathered by Henry Hunter of 460 Felton Ave. Jimmie lived with his mother and grandparents at 1328 Eason Street, where Roberta cared for him as a grandmother. He became ill and was last treated by a physician on December 7, 1943. On December 10, 1943, Jimmie died at home aged two at 11 P.M. Jimmie's cause of death was listed as bronchial pneumonia and general weakness. He was Roberta Elder's fifth victim.

Near Christmas, 1944, the Crane family took in Roberta's cousin, three-year-old Gloria Evans. Gloria became ill and died at 1328 Eason Street on December 26, 1944, the day after Christmas, of acute gastroenteritis. She was Roberta Elder's sixth victim. Just six months later, in June 1945, Roberta Crane's mother, Mrs. Callie Brown, came to Atlanta to visit her daughter. On June 17, she died in the home, ages sixty-nine of undetermined causes. She was Roberta Elder's seventh victim.

On July 21, 1947, Roberta Crane's husband, forty-seven-year-old James Garfield Crane, died of food poisoning (meaning that it was believed that the food was contaminated while being processed, not by a person), he was the eighth victim of Roberta Elder. Roberta now lived at 1328 Eason Street by herself and started taking in boarders. One of these boarders was an elderly woman named Nora Harris. Nora was a widow, and an ex-slave. She was a child when the Civil War ended, and she was freed from slavery.

The widowed Roberta Crane befriends the Elder family. The family consisted of Rev William Elder, who was a preacher and laborer, his wife, Willie Mae, and their five children. Willie Mae suddenly became ill, so Roberta cared for her. She died aged forty-one, on January 29, 1950, of influenza, becoming Roberta Elder's ninth victim. Roberta comforted the Reverend. Both being widowers, they married in May 1950. William and his five children moved into Roberta's home, along with Nora Harris.

On January 11, 1951, Annie Pearl Elder, William's daughter, died of pneumonia, aged die, nearly a year after her mother. Fannie Mae Elder, William's other daughter, would also die of pneumonia, just two months later, on March 23, aged fifteen. On December 22, 1951, ninety-three-year-old Nora Harris, would die of presumed old age while under Roberta Elder's care. Roberta Elder now had three additional victims, now having twelve victims.

In August 1952, Rev William Elder would become ill after eating bananas and cheese while at work at a construction job, that was prepared for him at home by his wife. After a doctor looked at him, he was left at home to be cared for by his wife, who treated him by giving him milk of magnesia. The doctor was called back on August 21, but by this time William was dying, and he died at home that day. The doctor had become suspicious of the many deaths in the home and began to investigate.

After autopsying the body of Rev William Elder, it was discovered that he had arsenic in his system. They were able to exhume the graves of his daughters, Annie Pearl and Fannie Mae Elder, where it was discovered that they also had arsenic in their systems as well. William Elder's three surviving children testified that Roberta Elder had a brown paper bag with pink power, which Roberta says that she used to kill insect plant. She also claimed that she had gotten that pink power from her brother's farm in Watkinsville.

Roberta denied ever putting the pink power in any food or beverage, but testing confirmed that the pink power was arsenic, and that it had been put in the milk of magnesia. William Elders son, Willie, testified that he stopped eating at the house after becoming sick every time Roberta made food. Roberta Elder was arrested and charged with the murders of Annie Elder, Fannie Elder, and Rev William Elder. She maintained her innocence but was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. She simply shrugged her shoulders upon hearing her guilty verdict.

Roberta Elder would be paroled on December 9, 1964, and was given back her right to vote on December 17, 1968. She died in Rome, Georgia, on December 12, 1977, aged sixty-eight.