Eugene Butler

Eugene Butler (c. 1849 – October 22, 1913) was an American serial killer who murdered six teenage boys at his residence in Niagara, North Dakota, from 1900 to 1906. The bodies of his victims were found in 1915, two years after Butler had died in an insane asylum.

Biography Early life and move to North Dakota Eugene Butler was born in Royalton, New York, near Buffalo, circa 1849, one of three sons born to Ephraim and Rebecca (née Pearson) Butler. Upon moving to the Dakota Territory around 1882, Butler purchased a 480-acre farm in the city of Niagara (in present-day North Dakota). He maintained the property on his own, never married and lived as a recluse, Due to being considered a public nuisance, Butler was admitted to the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown under the supervision of Dr. W. M. Hotchkiss. On October 22, 1913, Butler died while imprisoned in the asylum.

Discovery of murders After Butler's death, his estate was divided between his living relatives with the help of attorney W. E. Houpt. In 1915, two years after Butler's death, workmen were sent to excavate the farm with the purpose of renovating it. One workman, Leo Verbulehn, Nobody in the neighborhood, however, recalled a family that had ever gone missing in the county. The possibility of the family's being Butler's relatives was also ruled out, as he must have murdered them immediately upon entering the premises. Later, it was discovered that some of the bones were stolen, most likely by souvenir hunters.

Solving the mystery To this day, Butler's victims remain unidentified. According to forensic anthropologist Phoebe Stubblefield, modern DNA techniques could be used to identify the remains if they are discovered by authorities or surrendered by those who stole them.

In 2016, the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Department reached out to the public in an effort to find new leads, as the old case records were either destroyed or lost.