Secrets Beneath the Garden

 

Title: Secrets Beneath the Garden

{Non Fiction_____}

Dorothea Puente’s story is one of deception, darkness, and betrayal hidden beneath the façade of a kindly grandmother figure.

In the 1980s, Dorothea, already in her 50s, seemed like an unlikely criminal. With her silver hair, grandmotherly demeanor, and soft-spoken nature, no one would have suspected the horrors that were to unfold at her Sacramento boarding house. She presented herself as a charitable woman who provided affordable housing to those in need—primarily the elderly, mentally ill, and those struggling with addiction. She was known in the community for offering food and shelter to those society had largely forgotten. But behind her welcoming smile and seemingly kind nature, Dorothea was orchestrating a chilling scheme.

 A Trusting House of Horror

By 1982, Puente had turned her house at 1426 F Street into a bustling boarding home. The rooms were filled with vulnerable individuals—people with little family and no strong connections. She provided them with a roof over their heads and cared for them in return for a portion of their government assistance checks, but she wanted more. She began forging signatures to fully control her tenants' finances, taking their Social Security benefits, while her boarders were often left hungry or neglected.

In 1982, Puente's first recorded murder occurred. **Ruth Monroe**, a close friend, moved in with her to share living expenses. Within weeks, Monroe was dead, found overdosed on codeine and acetaminophen. Puente claimed Monroe was despondent due to her husband's terminal illness, and authorities ruled the death a suicide—giving Puente a pass, for the time being.

Soon after, Dorothea’s shady dealings escalated. In 1985, she was convicted of drugging and stealing from elderly people she met in bars, serving three years in prison. When she was released, she was ordered to stay away from the elderly and refrain from managing anyone’s money. But Puente had no intention of stopping. She was driven by greed and a need for control.

 The Murders Begin

When she resumed running her boarding house, things took a darker turn. This time, instead of just stealing from her tenants, she began killing them. Puente targeted the most vulnerable residents—those without close family, people no one would immediately miss.

Her method was chilling: she would drug her victims until they were incapacitated, using sleeping pills or tranquilizers, then smother them. Once they were dead, she would quietly dispose of their bodies, often by burying them in her backyard garden. All the while, she continued cashing their Social Security checks.

One tenant, **Alvaro "Bert" Montoya**, a mentally disabled man, became a key figure in Puente’s undoing. Montoya was well-liked in the neighborhood, and when he vanished in 1988, his social worker grew suspicious. She repeatedly asked about him, but Puente calmly offered excuses, saying Bert had simply moved away.

Unsettled by the inconsistencies in Puente's stories, the social worker contacted the police, who came to the boarding house to investigate. Dorothea, with her grandmotherly charm, cooperated and allowed officers to search her property. But what they discovered would reveal the horrors hidden beneath the surface.

 The Grim Discovery

On November 11, 1988, authorities began digging in Puente’s backyard, initially unsure of what they might find. Soon, they unearthed human remains. As they continued to dig, more bodies were discovered—seven in total. The victims were mostly elderly men and women, their bodies twisted and decomposed. All had been residents of Dorothea’s boarding house.

While the police continued their investigation, Puente, remarkably, was not detained right away. She claimed innocence and asked if she could go buy a cup of coffee at a nearby hotel. The officers, not considering her a flight risk, agreed. Instead of returning, Puente fled Sacramento, heading south to Los Angeles, where she blended into the city’s transient community.

 Capture and Trial

Puente’s escape was short-lived. In Los Angeles, she befriended an elderly man in a bar and tried to charm her way into his life, but he grew suspicious and recognized her from news reports. He alerted authorities, and just days after fleeing Sacramento, she was arrested and brought back to face justice.

During her trial, Puente’s defense team argued that the deaths were due to natural causes and that she had buried the bodies out of panic. But the evidence painted a far darker picture. Her tenants had been drugged, killed, and buried, while Puente continued to cash their checks and live off their benefits.

In 1993, Dorothea Puente was convicted of three counts of murder, though it is believed she killed as many as nine people. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, where she lived until her death in 2011.

 Legacy of Deceit

Dorothea Puente’s crimes shocked the nation. Her unassuming appearance—a grandmother who baked cookies and grew flowers—had allowed her to hide in plain sight. The community she had once appeared to help had been a hunting ground for her greed and cruelty. Puente’s house still stands today, a grim reminder of the sinister events that unfolded within its walls.