After Swanenburg's first two daughters died at a young age, she married Johannes van der Linden on 13 May 1868.

[2][3] Her first victim was her mother Johanna, in 1880; not long thereafter, she poisoned her father, Clemens.

[citation needed] 45 survivors sustained chronic health issues after having ingested the poison.

[citation needed] Swanenburg's motive was the payout of her victims' insurance or their inheritance.

[8] Swanenburg was found guilty of having killed at least three victims, and she was sentenced to life imprisonment in a correctional facility, where she died in 1915.