The Rainham Mystery refers to the dismembered parts of a woman found in 1887 in England. She is believed to be the first victim of the Thames Torso Killer.
Case[]
In May of 1887, workers first encountered a bundle with the torso of a female in the River Thames near Rainham. between then and the next month, various body parts were found belonging to the same woman were found in the river. Only the head and upper chest was not recovered. The investigation concluded her killer had a degree of medical knowledge that was necessary to dismember her, and that she was not dissected for medical purposes. However, a cause of death could not be determined, so the jury returned a verdict of "Found Dead".
Between 1887 and 1889, there were four incidents of dismembered women found around London, England. Together they are referred as the Thames Torso Murders, the Thames Mysteries, or the Embankment Murders. Only one woman was identified and the cases are unsolved. Some have speculated the cases are connected to Jack the Ripper or other cases, such as the Battersea Mystery, but these theories remain only as speculation.
The Whitehall Mystery and the Pinchin Street Torso are associated with the case.
Sources[]
- The Thames Torso Murders on Wikipedia
Footnotes[]
- ↑ She is described as a young woman. This age range is stated based on the categories of this wiki.