Thames Torso Murders of 1887–89

The Thames Torso Murders of 1887–89, often called the Thames Mysteries or the Embankment Murders, was a series of unsolved murders that took place in London in 1887–89. The series included four incidents which were filed as belonging to the same series. None of the cases were solved, and only one of the four victims were identified. Speculations have linked the Thames murder series to that of the contemporary Jack the Ripper series. The murders were given much covering in contemporary press, though they never became as well known as the Ripper murders.

Between May and June 1887, the remains of a woman's body were found in the River Thames near Rainham. Workers first encountered a bundle with the torso of a female. Throughout May and June, various parts of the same body were found, with the exception of the head and upper chest.

The investigation concluded that the body had not been dissected for medical purpose, but that a degree of medical knowledge had been necessary to perform the dissection. Because the doctors could not state a cause of death, the jury was forced to return a verdict of "Found Dead".

Between 11 September and 2 October 1888, the dismembered remains of a woman were discovered at three different sites in the centre of the city, including the future site of Scotland Yard, the police's headquarters.

The investigation concluded that the dismemberment had been performed by someone with medical knowledge, but could give no precise cause of death. The jury returned a verdict of "Found Dead".

On June 4, 1889, a female torso was found in the Thames at Horsleydown, and more body parts were soon found in the Thames the next week.

The London Times reported on 11 June that the remains found so far "are as follows: Tuesday, left leg and thigh off Battersea, lower part of the abdomen at Horselydown; Thursday, the liver near Nine Elms, upper part of the body in Battersea-Park, neck and shoulders off Battersea; Friday, right foot and part of leg at Wandsworth, left leg and foot at Limehouse; Saturday, left arm and hand at Bankside, buttocks and pelvis off Battersea, right thigh at Chelsea Embankment, yesterday, right arm and hand at Bankside."

The investigation concluded that medical knowledge had been necessary to perform the dismemberment. At the inquest on 17 June, it was stated that: "the division of the parts showed skill and design: not, however, the anatomical skill of a surgeon, but the practical knowledge of a butcher or a knacker. There was a great similarity between the condition, as regarded cutting up, of the remains and that of those found at Rainham, and at the new police building on the Thames Embankment." The London Times of 5 June reported that "in the opinion of the doctors the women had been dead only 48 hours, and the body had been dissected somewhat roughly by a person who must have had some knowledge of the joints of the human body."

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