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Ten Babies. Eight Murders. One Woman to Blame: Their Mother
In March of 1949, a healthy baby boy named Richard Noe entered this world. Thirty-one days later, he left it — found dead in his parents' bedroom in a working-class Philadelphia neighborhood. Over the next nineteen years, all nine of Marie and Arthur Noe's other children would die — one stillborn, one in the hospital, and the other seven of unexplained causes—none lived longer than fifteen months.
Gaining national sympathy for their unbelievabloe bad luck, the Noes were deemed victims of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). But as the years went on, may people found their SIDS defence a hard pill to swallow — after all, SIDS is not a hereditary condition. As investigators proved, they found that in each case, the child had died while home alone with Marie Noe.
Finally, in 1999 — fifty years after her first child died — septuagenarian Maried Noe pled guilty to killing eight of her ten dead children. Today, she remains at home on probation helping psychiatric experts understand what is perhaps one of the most disturbing and baffling mysteries of all: how and why a mother could kill her own children. In this riveting true crime account, author John Glatt goes behind the headlines and into the heart of this fascinating case to reveal the shocking answers.
Cradle of Death
PART ONE
THE KILLINGS
"I SUFFOCATED HER."
Back alone at N. American Street with Constance, Marie decided to celebrate her baby's one-month anniversary by training her to sit up in a chair. Placing the tiny baby on a chair in the parlor, she arranged one pillow behind her and set another chair in front to support her so she wouldn't topple over. Suddenly Constance began to cry and Marie lost control.
"I don't know why," she would later confess, "but then I took a pillow and laid her down on the chair and I suffocated her."
Then in a dream-like state Marie carefully carried Constance to her crib and closed her eyes as if she was asleep. Then she left the room and went upstairs to the bathroom to compose herself. There she remained until she heard her husband come through the front door.
Copyright © 2000 by John Glatt.
Anonymous
Posted October 30, 2012
I dont understand this monster of a woman. She should have been neutered like a dog. Whats wrong with her husband.he just turned the other way after each death.he must have a clue. Justice was not served. These parents were huge idiots and their clueless family too.maybe they are dead by now. Lets cheer if they are.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 12, 2011
John Glatt did his research well while taking this project on. As both a mother, and a nurse, I'm all too aware that SIDS, as tragic as it can be, rarely strikes a family as often as this one. This mother was alaways alone when her babies died, so why were no red dlags raised? Was her husband that blind, or was he just manipulated by his wife? Only they know that answer. My 1st born was colicky, so I was able to see how a fragile woman, or a woman with post partum depression could "snap", and harm her infant, but kill all her children nearly getting away with serial infant murder? I know I could never understand how the mind works, and could never understand why a mother could kill a baby she carried in her body, and gave birth to. I loved this book, as John Glatt is my favorite true crime author.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 23, 2001
I thought this book was a little boring and it was hard to finish. It wasn't as well writen as some of the other true crime books I have read...
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Overview
Ten Babies. Eight Murders. One Woman to Blame: Their Mother
In March of 1949, a healthy baby boy named Richard Noe entered this world. Thirty-one days later, he left it — found dead in his parents' bedroom in a working-class Philadelphia neighborhood. Over the next nineteen years, all nine of Marie and Arthur Noe's other children would die — one stillborn, one in the hospital, and the other seven of unexplained causes—none lived longer than ...