Who is the Thames Torso Murderer?

The Thames Torso Murderer was a Victorian-era serial killer active in London, known for dismembering his victims and leaving their body parts in waterways.

Has the identity of the Thames Torso Murderer been uncovered?

Historian Lucy Worsley believes new evidence points to a bargeman named James Crick as the Thames Torso Murderer, a case that remained unsolved for nearly 140 years.

How did the Thames Torso Murderer's crimes differ from Jack the Ripper's?

Unlike Jack the Ripper's frenzied knife attacks, the Thames Torso Murderer methodically dismembered his victims and scattered their remains.

Home / Crime and Justice / Thames Torso Murderer: Case Finally Solved?

Thames Torso Murderer: Case Finally Solved?

5 Jan

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Summary

Historian Lucy Worsley believes a bargeman is the Thames Torso Murderer.
Victims' dismembered bodies were found in London waterways starting in 1887.
A survivor's testimony helped lead to the potential suspect's arrest.

Thames Torso Murderer: Case Finally Solved?

A Victorian serial killer, known as the Thames Torso Murderer, whose crimes predated Jack the Ripper, may finally have had their identity uncovered. Historian Lucy Worsley, reinvestigating the case for a BBC series, presents compelling evidence suggesting a violent bargeman named James Crick is the culprit. The murders, beginning in 1887, involved the methodical dismemberment of women, with body parts found in London's waterways and construction sites.

The investigation, aided by historian Sarah Bax Horton, re-examined police records and newspaper archives. Crick, a bargeman with access to the river and a history of violence, emerged as a strong suspect. His arrest in 1889 for assaulting Sarah Warburton, coupled with his threat to 'settle you as I have done other women that have been found in the Thames,' coincided with the cessation of the torso murders.