Daisy De Melker - A detailed look into South Africa’s first female serial killer

A Killer legacy 

Daisy De Melker is often cited as one of South Africa’s most infamous female serial killers. It seems Daisy’s murderous legacy is as sensational today as it was all those years ago. Even in the modern day, her name is still well known among South Africans, often used a boogeyman and local legend. Many South African’s also claim to either be directly related to her in some way, or to have known or even been family of her victims. Yet, where did this all start? How did she go from a seemingly caring nurse and mother to murdering her own son and almost all of her former husbands?

Daisy De Melker after her arrest
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Early Life on the Frontier 

Daisy was born as Daisy Louisa Hancorn-Smith on June 1st, 1886, in Seven Fountains in the former Cape Colonies of South Africa. She was the daughter of William and Fanny Hancorn-Smith and one of 11 children and a further 2 half siblings. (No wonder so many people claim to be related to her.) Even though there isn’t much information known about her, Daisy’s early life doesn’t seem to have gone that smoothly. Living in the early frontiers of South Africa was often dangerous and difficult. disease was rife, malaria, cholera and pneumonia were common without proper medical care. Conflicts were common and death was just another part of life. Daisy was no different, she had experienced loss early in her life. 

Records show her mother eventually left and remarried to another man. She had 2 other children with him before shortly dying in July of 1894, when Daisy was around 9. It’s never stated why her mother left or really when, and Daisy never got a chance to speak about it. Though, I personally suspect it might have something to do with the fact that William wanted to move to Rhodesia. (Now Zimbabwe) 
Which he eventually did, taking his two oldest sons with him. As what a lot of families did back then, the men would go off to establish a farm and get some land and when everything was settled, they sent for the women. After her father had acquired a parcel of land in Bulawayo and started a farm, they sent for her back in Seven Fountains. She joined them when she was around 11 or 12 years old. Records aren’t that clear, but it was around the late 1890’s. 

Early Rhodesian Settlers 
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Comms.

Though it seems the local farm school she was enrolled in wasn’t quite up to standard for the young girl. In 1899, she would be returned to the Cape Colonies and be enrolled in The Good Hope seminary school to receive a proper education. This school still exists to this day, having been established in 1873, it’s well over 152 years old. 

Daisy Finds Love

After her schooling in the Cape Colonies, she returned to Rhodesia and to her family. By 1903, like many women her age, she had found love. His name was Bert Fuller and this was Daisy’s first real love. He was a young civil servant working for the British army and was paid quite well, received a government pension and subsidized housing. Daisy, however, was not ready to settle down quite yet. Still seeking her own independence, she enrolled in the Berea Nursing School in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Her need to study was probably seen as uncommon back then. Values were still very much Victorian, and the home was seen as a woman’s place. The only times when women chose to work outside of the home, was when the family was struggling financially. 

She studied for three years before going back to Rhodesia yet again. By 1907, she was set to be married to Bert. However, he was soon transferred to what is now known as Matetsi, a village near Victoria Falls. So, they postponed the wedding until October of that year. But their marriage was not to be. 
While in Matetsi, Bert had caught Blackwater fever, a complication of malaria which causes red blood cells to burst, releasing hemoglobin directly into the blood vessels. This often causes dark red or black urine, hence its name. Ironically enough, the reason for a person developing Blackwater fever is most likely due to an autoimmune reaction caused by the use of quinine with malaria parasites. -caption Quinine was often used to treat malaria back then – insert image of quinine. 

Bert would pass away with Daisy by his bedside. But Bert hadn’t left her empty handed. Upon his death, she received around 100 £ from his will. This was a substantial amount back then, as a semi-skilled worker earned around 10£ to 15£ a month and the wage was much higher for skilled workers. Devastated, but with some money in hand, Daisy returned to Johannesburg. 

Early Braamfontein 
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Her First Husband 

By 1908, Daisy was now 22 and working as a nurse in Johannesburg. While she was living with family, she still earned her own money, something that was rare for back then. It also helped that Johannesburg and South Africa in general, was in great need of qualified doctors and nursing staff.

Daisy excelled at her nursing and was described as kind and caring to patients. Especially the bereaved, as death was common back then. Sometime in the 18 months after Bert had passed, Daisy soon married her first husband, Alfred Cowle in 1909. He was 14 years her senior and worked as a plumber for the Johannesburg municipality. He was tasked with maintaining and building the city’s sewage systems and as such, earned quite a bit of money back then. After their marriage, they soon moved to Turffontein, one of the first established suburbs of Johannesburg following the gold rush.

Daisy in her Younger Years
Image Courtesy of Jacaranda.

Alfred, again being quite a bit older than Daisy, had some health problems from the very start. He often suffered from a bad back, aching joints and various stomach issues. Originally from the Isle of Man, it seems the spicy foods and rich stews of South Africa, did not agree with his sensitive stomach. 

Isle of Man -
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia 

By 1910, Daisy would give birth to her first children, a set of twins. Back then, infant mortality was at an all-time high. Diseases, malnutrition and general unhygienic conditions, would claim many young lives. Unfortunately, the twins would die in infancy, but not due to any disease. They were simply born prematurely and were in general just fragile from birth. Daisy would soon become pregnant again and in June of 1911, would give birth to a boy, which they named Rhodes Cecil, after Cecil John Rhodes, the industrialist who Rhodesia was named after back then. 

Rhodes was not a very strong child. He was weak and prone to illness but at least made it through infancy. Mostly in part, because Rhodes would soon become Daisy’s absolute favorite and she would spoil him rotten. And he would remain that for most of his short life.
Two more boys would come after this. Lester in 1913, and Eric in 1915. Curiously, it seemed death would still follow Daisy. Lester would die at barely 4 years old on the 19th of October, 1917. His cause of death listed as abscess of the liver. Following this, at barely 15 months old, Eric would die too. His cause of death seems to have been due to bowel troubles and convulsions. 

Given what we now know about Daisy, it seems almost natural to speculate if she had, had a hand in the killing of her own children. Her last child, Eric, also shares some very similar symptoms to Daisy’s unfortunate husbands. Given the lack of modern medical knowledge, it would be easy to overlook and misattribute these symptoms. Especially in a time when roughly 1 in 10 infants died before their first birthday. 

Alfred Gets 'Sick'

By 1922, the family would move to another house in Bertrams. While Alfred’s health had always been poor, recently it had gotten worse. At 49, his stomach troubles and bad back had gotten worse. Instead of going to doctors however, he frequently relied on tinctures and medicines mixed by the pharmacists. It seems years of being hunched over, working on plumbing and dealing with Daisy’s cooking had taken its toll. But by January 11th, 1923, Alfred’s bad health would seemingly take its final turn. 

Earlier that morning, Daisy had given Alfred a mixture of Epsom salts to help with his frequent constipation. But soon after drinking this ‘medicine’, he was overcome with severe stomach cramps, vomiting and convulsions. Daisy would actually summon a doctor for Alfred. Though, this first doctor most likely didn’t consider Alfred’s condition that bad, and prescribed him Bromide, an anticonvulsant, before leaving. 

If she had even given him the medicine in the first place, however, is unknown. His symptoms continued though, as yet another doctor would be summoned later that day by the neighbors. It was a little too late though, as soon after the doctor’s arrival, Alfred would die. Reportedly foaming at the mouth and blue in the face.

This second doctor, Dr. Leighton, however was taking this much more seriously than the last. He was not so accepting of Alfred’s death as others and refused to issue a death certificate, suspecting possible strychnine poisoning from the start. He demanded an autopsy be performed, which was done the next day on January 12th. The autopsy, performed by the district surgeon, Dr. Fergus, would determine he had most likely died of a cerebral hemorrhage and chronic nephritis. 

Nephritis is the inflammation of the kidneys. Impairing their ability to filter waste from your blood. 
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia 

With no foul play suspected, Daisy happily inherited over 1,795 £ from her husband’s will as well as a substantial pension fund payout, and of course the house. 

Her Second Husband

However, now without a husband to care for her and a young son to look after, Daisy had to return to work. But Daisy had become a bit rusty in her nursing, not having worked for so many years, she was only able to get a porter’s position at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. After three years of this, it seems Daisy was again looking for a new husband. Luckily, this wasn’t hard to find, many men were looking for wives back then. She quickly married Robert ‘Bob’ Sproat in January of 1926, on the anniversary of her first husband’s death. 

It seems Daisy had a thing for plumbers and older men. Because her second husband, Bob Sproat, was also a plumber and was around 10 years older than her. Bob too, hailed from Britain and was described as a lifelong bachelor, until he met Daisy.  

Though those weren’t the only things she liked about him. Bob was also wealthy, very wealthy. He had his own car, which back then was considered a great luxury for most, and he owned and invested in various stocks. But her need for a new husband was far beyond a need for love or companionship. In the three years after Alfred’s death, money had become tight again, and Daisy had other problems, namely her son, Rhodes. 

Cecil Rhodes Cowle
Image Courtesy of WikiTree.

You see, Rhodes had not turned out to be the golden child she had hoped for. In fact, he had turned out to be kind of a dunce. Rhodes, having been an only child and Daisy’s favorite, was spoiled rotten all his life. She would often give into his every want and need and buy him everything and anything he wanted. As such, many people thought he came across as lazy, rude and spoiled. 

But now that he was older, he struggled in school and refused to follow authority. He had failed many of his classes, but instead of looking inwards, Daisy seemed to blame the school for her son’s incompetence. Instead, she sent him to Hilton College. A prestigious private school that cost her a small fortune and was paid in part with the money Alfred had left. Rhodes stayed only for a year, returning again as a failure and having learnt nothing.

Again, desperate to make her son a success, she sent him off to yet another prestigious school, the Marits Brothers College. He managed to stay for 3 years this time, but he returned, still having learnt nothing and having again failed most of his classes. So, defeated Daisy enrolled him in a trade school instead, deciding he would become a plumber, just like his father.   

Bob, like many other people, shared the same opinion about Rhodes and didn’t get along with his new stepson. This often led to frequent arguments and shouting matches.  

The Mysterious Illness Strikes Again 

Now, whether Bob was a healthy man before getting married is unknown, but soon after his marriage to Daisy, he mysteriously developed the same symptoms as old Alfred. His stomach was also weak, he started suffering cramps, indigestion and constipation. Bob, however, unlike Alfred, did frequently consult doctors. But they also couldn’t find the cause of his mystery illness and barely a year into their marriage, it had only gotten worse. 

In October of 1927, Bob had suddenly collapsed at home, overcome with severe stomach pain and muscle spasms. A doctor would be summoned and medicine prescribed, but yet again, this did nothing to help with the excruciating pain. In the coming days, Bob would writhe in pain and be overcome with spasms, indigestion and severe pain. Fearing he might be on his deathbed, Daisy quickly called his brother, William Sproat, who lived in Pretoria at the time. 

Very soon after William’s arrival, Daisy’s reason for summoning him quickly became clear. You see, Bob did have a will, but all his belongings and money would go to his mother upon his death. This was definitely not a part of Daisy’s plan and she had to fix that somehow. Conveniently, with William present, Daisy started discussing the will with her brother-in-law. William, probably anxious and worried himself, recalled that Bob had mentioned something about making Daisy his heir. With this confirmation, the next morning, William would assist her in drawing up a new will. Even though he was still in severe pain, Bob would agree and sign it. Now, everything he owned would go to Daisy upon his death. 

Miraculously, after signing this will, Bob soon started recovering. A few weeks passed and soon a whole month went by without any complications. He still had the odd digestive issue, but that was nothing new. 

Soon though, on the 6th of November, it started again. It was a Sunday and Bob had just been given a beer by Daisy. After drinking it, he was found in the living room by his stepson, pale and sweating on the sofa. Again, a doctor would be called, but Bob would die only a few minutes after he arrived. Strangely, no autopsy would be requested, and the doctor would list the cause of death as yet another cerebral hemorrhage, coupled with arteriosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries. 

Daisy made short work of it and by November 8th, he was already buried. Rather unceremoniously, he would be laid to rest right next to Alfred, her first husband. Bob would become one of Daisy’s biggest payouts to date. He had left her a whopping 4,000£ in his will, and to sweeten the deal, she received a further 560 £ from his pension fund. Now, you would think with all this money, Daisy would be set for the rest of her life, and she probably would’ve been. If it weren’t for the unbearably spoiled Rhodes.       
In 1928, Rhodes was now unemployed, having failed his plumbing apprenticeship, not that he had an interest in it anyway.

Yet, Daisy still forgave him and eventually they even went on an extended vacation to England. While on their vacation, Rhodes had developed a new hobby. Motorcycles. Daisy had even bought him one in England and even paid for it to be shipped back to their home. This was probably at a great expense, as the average cost for a motorcycle back then was anywhere from 55 £ to 150 £, excluding import costs and delivery fees. 

Early 1900's Motorcycles
Image Courtesy of Britannica 

Problem Child

By 1930, barely 2 years later, Daisy had the same problem. She was strapped for cash, again. The money from Alfred and Bert were long gone and Bob’s money was slowly running out. It didn’t help that Daisy wasn’t working either. She had left her job as a porter right before the trip to England and wasn’t having any luck getting it back. 

Her main burden was still her son. In his early twenties, he was still living with her and still couldn’t hold down a job for longer than three months. He drifted between them like a ghost, and it didn’t help that most people didn’t have a good opinion of Rhodes anyway.

Coupled with his usual rudeness and entitlement, he was now having frequent outbursts and couldn’t control his temper. This often got him into trouble as he didn’t get along with supervisors or colleagues. While he got jobs frequently, they were often menial. He had done deliveries for local shops, had been a salesman and even tried his hand at construction work. But he found construction too tiring and physically intense and following orders or being polite was just too much to ask. 

His inability to bring in money often led to loud fights between him and his mother. He had become overly reliant and often entitled towards Daisy’s money. It’s reported that Rhodes might have been under the impression that he would inherit a large sum of money from his late father’s estate, as soon as he turned 21. This was quickly approaching too and much to Daisy’s dismay, as that money was long gone. 

Though, luck seemed to turn in their favor, as Rhodes soon got a job as a mechanic in Swaziland. Having frequently tinkered with his own motorcycle, mechanics seemed to be the one thing that did interest him. Daisy frequently visited him, bringing him baked goods and then often giving him extra money after he had frittered away his weeks wages. On one such trip to visit him, she had urged Rhodes to make his own will and testament. Something Daisy knew all too well about. Maybe this was a foreshadowing as to what was to come later. 

Third and Final Husband

Daisy, being Daisy, didn’t stay unmarried for too long. Her next husband and her eventual namesake, was Sydney De Melker. They would marry in 1931. He too was a plumber like the others, but there were things that set Sydney apart. For one, he was only a year older than her and second, he used to be famous. He was a former rugby star and played center for South Africa’s national rugby team, the Springboks in 1906.

1906 Springbok Rugby Team
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Yet that was many, many years ago. Now, in 1931, he was 47 and living and working in Germiston as a plumber. He too was a widow, his wife, Sarah, having died in 1928. He also had a daughter, Eileen, who lived with him. She was 2 years younger than Rhodes, yet had already accomplished much more than him.

She was studying to be a teacher and Daisy had seemingly taken a liking to her. With Rhodes still in Swaziland, Daisy opted to move in with Sydney and Eileen. 
Her marriage to Sydney was unlike any of her previous husbands. It seemed he was much more kind and caring towards her and in letters to her family, she described him fondly. He was in good health too, seemingly not having any of the other ailments her other husbands had. By all appearances, Daisy for once, seemed happy. 

Rhodes Returns

Like many things though, it didn’t stay rosy for long. Rhodes was returning to his old habits and in fact, getting worse. He was still getting into frequent fights with colleagues and in one particular incident, had turned physically violent. Daisy had to travel by train to resolve the issue, as Rhodes had become so belligerent that no one else could calm him.

Not long after, and only a few months into the new marriage, he eventually showed up on the De Melker’s doorstep. He claimed he had quit. No one believed him of course, and everyone suspected he had been fired. 

With Rhodes now in the house, their brief peaceful existence turned into a nightmare. Rhodes frequently fought with his stepfather, and new stepsister. Eileen hadn’t liked him from the start, describing him as ‘dim’. He also argued with Daisy, still demanding money. Soon after this, some all too familiar symptoms started to flair up. But not in Sydney, no, it was Rhodes. 

Not A problem for long

Like his father, Rhodes had always been weak and sickly. But now, barely a week into living with his mother, he suffered from frequent stomach cramps and vomiting. These symptoms seemed to flair up intermittently, before going away.

A doctor would diagnose him with malaria, surmising he had probably contracted it during his work in Swaziland. Daisy would be by his side, nursing him back to health, just like she had done when he was a sickly child. After this extended bout of illness, Rhodes would eventually recover enough and find more work, again as a mechanic. 

His usual rudeness and arguing continued again. But the breaking would come one evening, when during an argument, he hit his own mother. The same mother who had been so patient and loving towards him, even though he barely showed her any of it in return. While Daisy forgave him publicly, it was clear this had been the last straw. 

Again, Rhodes started to become sick and on March 2nd, 1932, Rhodes suddenly became violently ill at work. Strangely, a coworker of Rhodes, James Webster, also became ill after sharing some coffee from his flask. James would recover within a few days, but Rhodes only got worse. 
He was vomiting and had severe diarrhea, coupled with stomach cramps. Daisy was all too familiar with these symptoms. By March 5th, showing no improvement, he slipped into a coma and passed away. He would buried in the same cemetery as his father and step-father.

Again, a refusal to sign the death certificate came, and another autopsy was ordered. The cause of death was listed as cerebral malaria, which shared many symptoms as to what Rhodes was experiencing. 
While it looks like many of the doctors around Daisy were incompetent or dismissive, the truth is they simply didn’t have the tools or knowledge we have today. No one would suspect an innocent widower of poisoning her own son and husbands, especially not a woman of her age and status. 

Yet, what the doctors didn’t know was, that Daisy had purchased arsenic only a few weeks before her son’s untimely death. As it would later be revealed in her trial, she had travelled back to Turffontein to purchase arsenic from the local chemist, Abraham Spilkin. When asked why she needed it, she claimed that it was to euthanize an old sick cat. (I can’t help but think that this must have been a metaphor for poor Rhodes and her other husbands)

 
Even back then, everyone knew how dangerous arsenic was, and when purchasing something so hazardous, you were required to sign in a poison register. She had used her old surname, Sproat, to sign for it and Rhode's fait was sealed. 

Less than a month later, she would receive Rhode’s life insurance payout. A measly 100 £. She accepted it, along with the rest of her son’s wages for the last few days he had worked before passing. She returned to her newest husband, not suspecting that anyone would ever know her dark secrets.
What Daisy didn't know, was that someone had been watching her all along. You see, William Sproat, Bob Sproat’s brother, had become suspicious of her motives after the passing of his brother. He wasn't pleased with how she behaved the first time Bob had gotten so ill and had been watching her ever since. 

He had heard all about how her first husband, Alfred had passed away and noted how similar those symptoms were to his own brother’s death. Now, with Rhode's dead also showing very similar symptoms, he decided to have a word with police. He was sure Daisy had poisoned them all.

An Autopsy is performed 

On April 15th, 1932, the police obtained a court order to exhume Alfred, Rhodes and Bob. When brough in for an autopsy, they found Rhodes’ remains very well preserved, even though he had been dead for nearly 42 days. Traces of arsenic were found in his hair, backbone and viscera. The use of arsenic is also common in embalming methods, which would explain why he was so perfectly preserved. 

Next was Bob and Alfred. Even though they were mostly decomposed, traces of strychnine were found in their bodies. Particularly their bones, which had a pinkish color to them, common in strychnine poisoning. 

Strychnine, in its natural form, comes in a white, odorless powder. However, its so dangerous and so easily confused for other substances that it is often dyed pink to avoid confusion. Strychnine was also a common household pesticide back then, used for killing rats and mice and came in pink pellet form. Maybe this was where Daisy had gotten it from…

A typical bottle of strychnine
Image Courtesy of Chemistry World

A week after the autopsies were performed, the police came knocking on Daisy’s door. I’m sure in those few minutes, seeing the police on her doorstep, she knew it was over. They whisked her away to ‘The Old Fort’ one of Johannesburg’s first prisons as she awaited her trial. Soon the headlines would buzz with her story. It was sensational, how could such a matronly looking woman, and a former nurse too, kill her husbands and only son? Sure, men killed all the time, but a woman, how could a woman kill?

All these headlines did bring forward a few witnesses. namely Rhodes’ old coworker, James Webster, who also relayed to police that he too had gotten ill after sharing a cup of coffee with Rhodes. When they tested clipping of his hair and fingernails, they found traces of arsenic in his system. soon, the police went back to the house, confiscating the flask that Rhodes often took to work. There, they determined that the flask contained traces of arsenic as well. The chemist, Abraham Spilkin also came forward after recognizing Daisy from a photo in the newspaper. He too showed the police the signed poison register. She had signed as Mrs. D.L. Sproat, using her former surname, and putting down her old address for the house in Turffontein, to further cover her tracks. 

The trial Begins 

By October her trial had commenced. she was facing a triple murder charge; the punishment was death by hanging. The trial would last for 30 days, and the courtroom was a media circus. Crowds and reporters would gather outside every morning, waiting to catch a glimpse of Daisy as she waddled in. The public gallery would be booked out like cinema seats and the public spilled out onto the street. Throughout the trial, Daisy would proclaim her innocence, even though it seemed clear to everyone else she had done it. Even her legal counsel were sure of it, Harry Morris, her lawyer could only hope that the judge would grant some kind of mercy and she would be sentenced to life imprisonment instead. 

And there seemed to a slight glimmer of hope for her as well. Dr. J.M, Watt the toxicologist brought in to testify against her, couldn’t conclusively prove that she had poisoned her husbands. There was simply not enough evidence to conclude that she had in fact given them the poison herself. Harry Morris would also attempt to put a suicide plea forward for the death of her son. He claimed that Rhodes had become increasingly erratic and violent in the short time before his death, which was true. He put forward that Rhodes had poisoned himself to commit suicide.

The defense quickly dismissed this though, pointing out that Daisy was still the one who purchased the poison after all. Also, why would he have given the same poisoned coffee to a co-worker? The charge for murdering her son stuck and so did her death sentence. She was sentenced to hang on the 30th of December, 1932 at Pretoria Central Prison. All through her trial, Daisy had proclaimed her innocence, she had even called the people who testified against her liars. The evidence said otherwise.

She would die at 46 in the Pretoria Central Prison, not much younger than her previous husbands. As for Sydney, the only one who got away, he would remarry and eventually pass away in 1953 at the age of 69. All through the trial, he too was convinced of his wife’s innocence and actually stood by her. He, like many who knew her, couldn’t believe such a loving and caring person would kill her only sons. He, after all had witnessed how she nursed Rhodes in his final moments. 

Final Thoughts

Now, Daisy never revealed her actual motives for the killings, especially as to why she killed her son. She never received a psychiatric evaluation, something that would have definitely been done today. Although, the motivation for killing her husbands seemed clear. Money. 

Especially in the case of Bob Sproat, who had died barely a year into their marriage. Though Alfred seemed different. She was married to him for over 14 years before he died, so why would she want him gone all of the sudden? Had she grown tired of playing nurse to a much older, sickly husband? Or did she feel trapped by marriage and motherhood? We’ll never know the correct answer...

With Rhodes, it seemed she was motivated by something a little beyond than just some money. Maybe she was so deeply disappointed in him, and what he had become, she decided it was better to kill him. She had spent most of her life spoiling him and trying to give him opportunity after opportunity and he had simply squandered every attempt. There was also the issue of Alfred's estate and the portion Rhodes had been promised. He was only a year away from 21, and that money was long gone. Spent by Daisy to most likely fund his education and hobbies.

Whatever her motivations might have been, her legend carries on to this day. Forever leaving her as South Africa's first female serial killer.