#rainham

Birth date: ? Attacked: ? Murdered (age): 25~35 Found: May/June 1887

Complexion: Fair Eyes colour: ? Hair colour: Dark Height: ? Ocupation: ?

Clothes at the time of murder: ?

Resting place: ?

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Between May and June 1887, the remains of a woman's body were found in the Thames River Valley village of Rainham (Havering, East London). Workers first encountered a bundle with the torso of a female. Throughout May and June, various parts of the same body were found in various parts of London -until a complete body, with the exception of the head and upper chest, was reconstructed.

Charles A. Hebbert, an assistant police surgeon, examined the body parts of two dismembered victims found in the Thames in 1887 and 1888.  In his case report, Hebbert mentioned the difficulties that investigators had with gaining meaningful information in dismemberment cases that also involved submersion in water. These included: difficulty in identifying age; height; condition in life; and even gender in cases where torsos and heads were missing. Although one suspects some male investigators would have missed key clues on the body of female victims due to lack of general knowledge of feminine hygiene and undergarments, Hebbert did note that one of the legs found in July 1887 showed that “garters were worn below the knee, a custom, I believe, more common among the lower than the upper classes, who either wear garters above the knee or suspenders”.  In the cases he examined, Hebbert noted that the neatness of the disarticulations he examined demonstrated the skill of a butcher or hunter. The diaphragm was intact; lungs, heart and other thoracic viscera were absent, but liver, stomach, both kidneys and spleen present. No part of small intestines from duodenum was found, nor the large intestine except the sigmoid flexure and rectum. In the pelvis were the uterus, vagina, ovaries and appendages and bladder. 

An incision had evidently been made from the ensiform cartilage to the pubes. Cuts on the vertebrae were such as would be made by a saw, there were long sweeping incisions through the skin that showed that a very sharp knife had been used, disarticulations were neatly and cleanly done, in each case the joint being exactly opened. The absence of ecchymosis showed all cuts were made after her murder or death.

The doctors could establish that the body was of a female aged over 25 to 35, with fair skin of Caucasian origin and with dark complexion shown by the pubic hair. She had no mark of a wedding ring and her uterus was that of a virgin. She had not borne any child and would possibly have been unable to conceive. The garter marks below the knee were common among the lower classes. Decomposition had taken place in water and some months had elapsed since her murder or death.

Medical men, including Police Surgeon Dr. Thomas Bond, gave their opinion that a degree of medical knowledge was evident, however, in their view, the body was no dissected for medical purposes. Even the medical knowledge, no special knowledge of anatomy was shown, the cuts just indicated a practical skill in amputating limbs at joints and making clean sweeping skin cuts; such skill would be gained by a butcher or hunter. Doctors opinion that any surgeon or anatomist could not have done the work so well as they are not constantly operating, while a butcher is almost daily cutting up carcases.

The doctors could not give a cause of death or show that a violent act had taken place, so the jury had no choice but to returned a verdict of "Found Dead."

Gerard Spicer dissertation on casebook

Wikipedia

University of Leicester article

Gagers Daily

The Jack the Ripper Walk

Whitechapel Jack

C. A. Asbrey blog

Casebook forums

GORDON, R. Michael (2015): Thames Torso Murders of Victorian London.