Female Serial Killer Starved Willing Victims in Remote WA Sanitarium
Dr. Linda Hazzard, 1920. Photo courtesy of Internet Archive Macfadden's Encyclopedia of physical culture; Volume 3. Public domain.
Seattle's history is marked by a chilling figure who took her medical license and twisted it into a weapon of death. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Linda Hazzard was licensed by the state of Washington as a "fasting specialist," and is believed to be Washington's first female serial killer. Her sinister methods and the tragic stories of her victims continue to haunt the city to this day.
The 'Cure' That Killed
Linda Hazzard, a self-proclaimed doctor with dubious credentials, operated under Washington state's lax medical laws in the early 1900s as a licensed fasting specialist. She promoted an extreme fasting regimen as a cure for nearly all ailments, from minor discomforts to serious illnesses. Her practice — conducted at a remote sanitarium in picturesque Olalla, Washington — became a trap for vulnerable patients seeking alternative treatments.
Hazzard's fasting protocol pushed patients to consume little more than small amounts of vegetable broth and water, often leaving them emaciated and near death. While she claimed her treatments were miraculous, many of her patients did not survive the ordeal. Disturbingly, Hazzard not only starved her patients but also used their deaths to her financial advantage, often obtaining control over their wills and assets.
Fasting for the Cure of Disease
In 1908, Hazzard self-published a book titled "Fasting for the Cure of Disease," in which she outlined her medical philosophy and subtly defended her practices. Hazzard once wrote in her book that "death in the fast never results from deprivation of food, but is the inevitable consequence of vitality sapped to the last degree by organic imperfection," according to the 2005 book "Starvation Heights," as reported by PEOPLE. This claim served as both a justification for her treatments and an attempt to absolve herself of responsibility for the deaths under her care. Hazzard's book's ideas reflected her unwavering belief in the effectiveness of her extreme methods, even as her practices resulted in numerous fatalities.
The Case of the Williamson Sisters
Hazzard's downfall began when British heiresses Claire and Dora Williamson sought her care after seeing an ad about Hazzard's Institute of Natural Therapeutics. The sisters only had minor ailments, but they were advocates of alternative medicine and believed they were enrolling in a "most beautiful treatment" program at a tranquil and picturesque sanitarium, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Instead, when they arrived in Washington state, they were told their scenic accommodations in Olalla were not quite ready. So instead, Hazzard placed the sisters in a cramped apartment on Seattle's Capitol Hill, fed meager rations of tomato broth twice daily, and subjected to hours-long exhausting enemas that left them fainting.
After two months, the sisters were moved to Hazzard's Olalla home, weighing a mere 70 pounds each. Their family remained unaware of their dire condition until a nonsensical message prompted their childhood nurse, Margaret Conway, to travel from Australia to check on them.
Upon her arrival, Margaret learned Claire had died. Hazzard claimed the death was due to drugs administered to Claire in her childhood, a dubious explanation meant to hide the truth: Claire had been starved to death. Conway grew even more suspicious when she saw Claire's embalmed body at the mortuary. The hands, face, and hair did not match Claire's features, leading her to believe the body may have been switched to conceal the severity of Claire's frailty at the time of her death.
When Margaret finally saw Dora, she weighed only a shocking 50 pounds. Her bones protruded so much that even sitting down caused her pain. Still, she did not want to leave Olalla and the care of Hazzard.
Hazzard's exploitation extended to forging legal documents to seize the sisters' assets. Dora had even named Hazzard her legal guardian for life and executor of her estate and had signed over her power of attorney to Hazzard's husband.
Finally, the sisters' family paid the Hazzards nearly $1000 to allow Dora to leave Olalla — a huge sum at that time.
The Arrest
As the Williamsons were a prominent family, the media soon caught wind of this horrific story, and public outrage called for an investigation. Authorities uncovered other wealthy victims that had died under Hazzard's care — and discovered she had swindled many out of their estates and life savings.
On Aug. 15, 1911, authorities took Linda Hazzard into custody, accusing her of first-degree murder for causing Claire Williamson's death through starvation.
Linda Burfield Hazzard in 1912. Photo courtesy of Internet Archive Fasting for the cure of disease. Public domain.
A Legacy of Horror
Ultimately, Linda Hazzard was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two years of hard labor at a penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington, during which her medical license was revoked. For reasons that remain unclear, she was later pardoned and released after only serving two years — however, her medical license was never restored.
Hazzard moved to New Zealand but returned to Olalla in 1920 to establish her dream sanitarium, which she called a "school of health," according to Smithsonian Magazine.
In the ultimate stroke of irony, after falling ill in 1938, Hazzard attempted to heal herself through fasting — but the regimen failed, and she died shortly after at the age of 70.
Linda Hazzard's story is a chilling example of how fraudulent medical practices can exploit vulnerable individuals. Far from being a healer, Hazzard used her position to manipulate and defraud her patients, prioritizing personal gain over their well-being. Her actions highlight the devastating consequences of unchecked greed and deception.
References: British Heiresses Went to Trusted Doctor for Alternative Treatments. One Starved to Death, the Other Wound Up Emaciated | The Doctor Who Starved Her Patients to Death
