Photographs are cropped to fit. Photo dates and original images are available through the source credits.
The story behind Buried Beneath the Boarding House
Police searching Dorothea Puente’s Sacramento boarding house in 1988 found bodies buried in the yard. Puente had been collecting benefit checks belonging to vulnerable tenants, some of whom had disappeared. The discoveries contradicted her image as a caring landlady. She was ultimately convicted of three murders.
Content note: violence, abuse, or loss. Linked material may contain graphic descriptions. Screen dramatizations may change events and dialogue.
Sacramento, California. The map provides regional context; individually verified historical places are listed below.
Map sources checked September 14, 2026. No case-specific Odd Stops location was found in this review.
See this case’s source review
Odd Stops
No verified match found. Source imagery is linked; only separately licensed photos are reproduced.
MurderData
No verified match found.
ArcGIS essay
Not included in this essay.
Reddit map
Reviewed as a general resource. Its coordinates and victim counts were not adopted as case evidence.
“No verified match” describes the accessible material found in this review, not proof that a source has never covered the case. MAP’s anonymous records were not individually matched to people.
Watch links, previews, and historical title listings are identified below. Availability varies by service and region; rentals or subscriptions may be required.
IMDb · Screen title
Dorothea (2025)
IMDb title reference connected to the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Listed release: 2025. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
Watch links, previews, and historical title listings are identified below. Availability varies by service and region; rentals or subscriptions may be required.
Netflix
Worst Roommate Ever — Call Me Grandma: Netflix episode guide
Nonfiction screen coverage of this case. The linked page identifies the program or episode; playback, subscriptions, and regional availability vary.
World's Most Evil Killers — Dorothea Puente (2018)
IMDb episode reference connected to the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Listed release: 2018. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
Original newspaper coverage, hosted by Newspapers.com. Read each article in the context of its publication date; later findings may differ. Full-page access may require sign-in.
Featured newspaper clipping
Read a featured clipping here, then explore more reporting in the newspaper archive.
The Sacramento Bee · 1993-08-27 · Page 1
Puente convicted of three murders
The local verdict report explains the three convictions and the jury’s deadlock on six other charges.
Historical reporting; read in the context of its publication date.
Loads the article viewer from Newspapers.com. That service receives your browser and connection information and may use cookies. Access is controlled by the publisher; a subscription may be needed for additional archive material.
Case videos, posts, family pages, and creator communities. Creator channels and groups cover multiple cases; each includes a link to the relevant episode. Facebook or TikTok may require sign-in, and groups may require membership approval. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting.
The New Detectives
The Landlady Killer: Dorothea Puente | The New Detectives
Video from The New Detectives covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 50:03.
Discussion: Worst Roommate Ever (Netflix) - our very own Dorothea Puente is featured!
Public community discussion connected to Dorothea Puente’s boarding house. Posts and comments are reader perspectives, not independently verified reporting.
Discussion: It was 35 years ago today, on November 11, 1988, that the first of several bodies were discovered buried in the yard of…
Public community discussion connected to Dorothea Puente’s boarding house. Posts and comments are reader perspectives, not independently verified reporting.
Outside blogs, personal essays, and creator write-ups. These reflect each author’s perspective. Check publication dates and compare claims with reporting and court records.
Crime Library · Blog / essay
Dorothea Puente, Killing for Profit
An outside blog or essay discussing Dorothea Puente’s boarding house. Read the author’s analysis alongside the dated reporting and court sources in this case guide. Some publishers require a subscription.
Individual records from Internet Archive: library books, historical broadcasts, and preserved web pages. A catalog listing does not guarantee free reading or full playback. Access, previews, and borrowing are controlled by Internet Archive.
Internet Archive · Library record · 2004
The bone garden : the Sacramento boardinghouse murders
Wood, William P. A library catalog record for a book connected with Dorothea Puente’s boarding house. The record may offer a preview or borrowing options; full reading access is not guaranteed.
Bodies in the back garden : true stories of brutal murders close to home
Cawthorne, Nigel, 1951- author. A library catalog record for a book connected with Dorothea Puente’s boarding house. The record may offer a preview or borrowing options; full reading access is not guaranteed.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
11Court records & documents
1 items
Court opinions, filings, transcripts, and dockets, alongside clearly labeled parole records, released investigative files, and courtroom recordings. Each item identifies its source and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. These selections are not complete case files. Where an online document could not be verified, a separate guide identifies the records office or archive to contact.
Habeas orderGovernment repository
Puente v. Mitchell — order denying federal habeas relief
The court reviews Dorothea Montalvo Puente’s challenges to her murder convictions, including the evidence, jury instructions, and alleged juror misconduct. The opinion includes an extensive account of the underlying prosecution.
Court / agency
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
New material will appear here after editorial review.
13Where are they now?
0 items
The latest information verified for this collection is listed below. Each source has its own date; these are not live custody records.
A current-status update has not been verified for this case yet.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
14Positive Outcome
0 items
Documented laws, advocacy, and reforms connected to this case. Changes do not undo the harm, and listing a law does not claim that it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific law, reform, or advocacy initiative has been verified for this collection yet. This does not mean that none exists.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
Dorothea Puente’s boarding house — media, court records & case files | Unforgotten Casebook
07Social Media
12 itemsCase videos, posts, family pages, and creator communities. Creator channels and groups cover multiple cases; each includes a link to the relevant episode. Facebook or TikTok may require sign-in, and groups may require membership approval. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting.
The New Detectives
The Landlady Killer: Dorothea Puente | The New Detectives
Video from The New Detectives covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 50:03.
Watch on YouTubeSWOOP
The Most AWFUL Woman Ever: Dorothea Puente's House of Horror | Making a Monster
Video from SWOOP covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 1:22:24.
Watch on YouTubeThe Casual Criminalist
Dorothea Puente: The Devil's Golden Girl
Video from The Casual Criminalist covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 1:31:03.
Watch on YouTubeAbsolute Crime
The Landlady Of Death: Dorothea Puente's House Of Horrors | Most Evil Killers | Absolute Crime
Video from Absolute Crime covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 43:41.
Watch on YouTubeBanijay Crime - Crime Documentary
Dorothea Puente's Dark Secrets - Deadly Women - S02 EP06
Video from Banijay Crime - Crime Documentary covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 1:00:23.
Watch on YouTubeOUTLORE with Eleanor Neale
DOROTHEA PUENTE'S GARDEN OF CORPSES
Video from OUTLORE with Eleanor Neale covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 44:49.
Watch on YouTubeFilmRise True Crime
World's Most Evil Killers - Season 2, Episode 8 - Dorothea Puente - Full Episode
Full episode or film as labeled by the publisher from FilmRise True Crime covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 43:55.
Watch on YouTubeDr. Todd Grande
Boarding House Serial Killer | Dorothea Puente Case Analysis
Video from Dr. Todd Grande covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 12:04.
Watch on YouTubeOxygen
Detectives Find Body In Dorothea Puente’s Yard | Murders at the Boarding House | Oxygen
Video from Oxygen covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 7:59.
Watch on YouTubeMurdered and Missing News
This Week in True Crime History: The Victims of Dorothea Puente
Video from Murdered and Missing News covering the Dorothea Puente’s boarding house case. Length: 1:12:42.
Watch on YouTubeReddit · r/Sacramento
Discussion: Worst Roommate Ever (Netflix) - our very own Dorothea Puente is featured!
Public community discussion connected to Dorothea Puente’s boarding house. Posts and comments are reader perspectives, not independently verified reporting.
Read the discussionReddit · r/Sacramento
Discussion: It was 35 years ago today, on November 11, 1988, that the first of several bodies were discovered buried in the yard of…
Public community discussion connected to Dorothea Puente’s boarding house. Posts and comments are reader perspectives, not independently verified reporting.
Read the discussion