Göldin was born into a poor family and worked as a servant. She had two children. Her first child died shortly after being born, and Göldin was accused (and sentenced) for killing it. She later worked for a physician from Glarus, Jakob Tschudi, who was one of the richest and most influential people in the Canton of Glarus. When she worked there, small needles were found in the milk for one of the daughters of Tschudi. Additionally, Tschudi's relatives claimed that the daughter had spewn nails on several occasions.