Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest

In the early twentieth century, Linda Hazzard operated a sanitarium in Olalla, Washington, where she promoted a radical fasting cure. Gregg Olsen documents how Hazzard used her status as a licensed doctor to starve wealthy patients under the guise of medical treatment. The narrative focuses on Claire and Dorothea Williamson, two British sisters who sought wellness but instead found themselves imprisoned and malnourished. As Hazzard seized their assets and forged their wills, her systematic medical abuse led to skeletal remains and avoidable deaths before local authorities intervened.

True crime readers interested in historical fraud and medical malpractice will find this account valuable. It attracts audiences who study the intersection of early alternative medicine and criminal manipulation. Readers gain a detailed understanding of how charismatic figures exploit systemic loopholes to harm vulnerable victims. The book provides a factual record of a specific legal battle in the Pacific Northwest, illustrating the dangers of fringe health movements and the slow process of mid-century justice.