The Most Feared Women In The U.S.
As SFGate reports, Iva Kroger was anything but a sweet old grandma. Kroeger, born Lucille Hooper, was first apprehended in her twenties, having claimed to be a military nurse. She violated probation by skipping town and racking up a series of thefts and false identities. When she married Ralph Kroeger in 1954 San Francisco, she was going by "Iva."
The debt-saddled couple changed their names, becoming Eva and Ralph Long, and moved into a hotel in 1961. Iva ingratiated herself with Mildred and Jay Arneson, who owned the motel across the street. Then Mildred and Jay went missing. Police showed up at their hotel, only to find Iva behind the desk as the new proprietor. Family grew suspicious when she said that Mildred had simply signed over the deed to her; even more questions arose when odd notes supposedly from Mildred were delivered to their door.
Police dragged their feet on the investigation, but eventually got a search warrant and uncovered Mildred and Jay's graves in the motel's garage. But Iva had already skipped town. Newspapers quickly jumped on the story, warning readers of the dangerous murderer who might be in their midst. She was eventually apprehended in San Diego, though the media frenzy continued throughout her trial, fueled by Iva's attempts to establish her insanity. Nevertheless, she was found guilty and imprisoned, though she was granted parole in 1975. Though she caused trouble — including threatening murder in 1987 Florida — Iva died in obscurity in 2000 (via SFGate).
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