#Unsolved Crime

[jankey606]

cryptid summer

[elisabethloxx]

Janet Lynn Shanahan on her wedding day, May 24, 1968. Janet was found strangled to death in her cars trunk in April 1969.

[luciferlaughs]

Mekayla Bali's disappearance on April 12, 2016, from her hometown of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, has remained a haunting mystery, capturing the attention of both law enforcement and the public. The 16-year-old Canadian was last seen at a local bus stop between 1:00 and 1:45 p.m., sparking a frantic search effort that has yet to yield any definitive leads. The day before her diappearance, she visited the bank to have $25 wired to her account. Later, she texted several friends that she was upset and needed help with something, but no further explanation was provided. The day she went missing was marked by a series of perplexing events, adding layers to the enigma surrounding her case. She texted a friend at around 6:41am asking for a ride to the bank again, but the friend declined since the bank was closed. Her grandmother then drove her to school at around 8:10am. Surveillance cameras showed her putting her binder in her locker and then slipping out the back entrance. She hiked all the way to the bank, where she withdrew $55. She then went to a Wendy's/Tim Horton's restaurant, where, for the next hour or so, she exhibited strange behaviour. Footage shows her disassembling her phone and then reassembling it. Multiple times she left the restaurant, wandered around, and then re-entered. She spent much of her time talking on the phone and texting, including a friend whom she asked for help with something, only to follow it up with ''Nevermind I figured it out''. She also asked a random customer for help with renting a hotel room, but was turned down. At around 11am, she went to the bus stop and asked a stranger when the next stop to Regina would be. Since the bus wasn't going to arrive until 5pm, she left without purchasing a ticket and went back to school for the lunch period, where she met with friends and told them she was planning a trip to Regina. At around 12:03pm, she departed from school and went to a Trail Stop Restaurant, which was attached to a bus stop. She ordered food and left about an hour later. She was never seen by eyewitnesses again, nor was she captured on surveillance footage anywhere. Police were able to confirm she did not get on any bus that day, either. Over the years, various theories have emerged regarding Bali's disappearance, ranging from the possibility of her running away to concerns about human trafficking or falling victim to an online predator. Despite reported sightings and extensive police investigations, including the review of hundreds of hours of surveillance footage and interviews with potential witnesses, Bali's whereabouts remain unknown, leaving her family in agonizing uncertainty.

[gunpowdercarousel]

Welcome to The Unsolved Hour, where we Unsolve the Mystery!

Tonight:

On January 20th, David Duckworthy was found dead in the back of his 2008 Toyota Camry. His murderer was eventually discovered to be his angry landlord, Albert Nose.

But what if Tampered with the DNA Evidence to Exonerate the Man who Committed the Murder?

It would become... Unsolved!

Join us next week as we Unsolve more Murders!

[conradscrime]

The Strange Case of the Creamer Children

October 04, 2023

In 1906, two children disappeared from their front yard in broad daylight. A reporter known as "The Special Correspondent" went to the small village where the disappearances took place to investigate.

The Special Correspondent, a woman, who worked for the Daily Telegraph Saint John, New Brunswick's largest newspapers travelled to Cape Tormentine on the Bay of Fundy, to figure out what happened to the Creamer children.

In May of 1906, the Special Correspondent took a train and travelled to the village. What was known was that two children, Ollie, a 5 year old girl and her brother Ralph, 3 years old at the time, had disappeared in the day, while their parents were inside the house. The Creamer parents claimed they had only not been watching the children for 10 minutes. A search was conducted for the children, but to no avail.

The reporter went to the Creamer farm and wanted to speak with John Creamer, their father. It was told to the reporter that John had searched for his children for an hour in the woods, but had then become ill and could no longer search, going back to his room. He could not be woken up while the reporter was there.

The reporter did speak with Ruth, the children's mother who told her the children went outside around 5pm to pick white violets, with their older sister Geneva, who was 7 years old. Ruth watched them from the window. After an hour, Ruth said she felt uneasy and anxious.

Ruth said Geneva came back inside but did not say anything alarmingly or that Ollie and Ralph vanished. Geneva said she left the children outside and Ollie had been talking to 17 year old neighbour Russell Trenholm. Russell invited Ollie to help him look for cows.

Russell was also interviewed but he claimed the children asked him if they could help him look for cows to which he replied they couldn't. Russell claimed he walked away but the children followed him. Russell then told the Creamer children they better go back home.

Russell then told the reporter, "I suppose they think I killed them?"

The special reporter covered this story in the newspapers, and soon it gained media attention. Newspapers in big cities were reported tons of missing children, however these children were all shortly found and told to have been making up stories and pretending they too, like the Creamer children, were missing.

Due to the great attention the case was receiving in the newspapers, the province's Attorney General sent help, and about 200 militia soldiers were went to look for the missing children.

The special reporter went back to the Creamer farm and was able to talk to John Creamer, the father, in person this time. John said that he often looks towards the woods and hopes that his children are still out there somewhere.

The reporter also spoke to Ruth again who claimed she had been interviewed again by the authorities. The Magistrate had asked Ruth for garments of the children, and asked why Ruth had not washed them. Ruth claimed it was because if they sent bloodhounds they would be able to pick up the scent more.

The Magistrate told Ruth this clearly proved that the children were not kidnapped, though research does not know the reasoning for this.

The reporter noted that Ruth Creamer did not appear very emotional towards her children's disappearance.

The reporter then took a walk through the woods, remembering that Russell had claimed after he failed to find cows the day of the children's disappearance he had walked to his grandmother's house. His grandmother's house was about a 10 minute walk.

The search for the children continued and the militia found a single thread of red cloth that was 3-4 inches long. This was compared to a sample of Ralph's clothing and it was a match. Ruth Creamer however, denied this was part of her son's clothing.

The disappearance soon became known in the newspapers as "Babes in the woods." Newspapers at one point even reached out to a psychic to see if they could figure out what happened to Ollie and Ralph.

The psychic claimed the children had indeed been kidnapped, by a rough looking farmer man, who was working with a big fat man. According to this description, the special reporter believed it matched what Russell looked like.

Soon, newspapers began reporting that the Creamer children must be deceased at this point.

Ruth Creamer was interviewed again by the special reporter, in which it was discussed how the day before Ollie disappeared she complained to her mother that a man had tried to act "indecent" towards her.

Ruth seemed shocked the reporter asked about this, but she admitted it was true.

At this point it had been 20 days since Ollie and Ralph disappeared and authorities wanted the special reporter to assist them in interviewing the Creamers and Trenholm's. The authorities were suspecting foul play but claimed there is no motive.

Authorities did not believe someone could have kidnapped the children so easily and go unnoticed.

When Russell was questioned there was a discrepancy in his story, with him claiming he reached his grandmother's house at 6pm and his grandmother noting that he did not arrive there until 7pm.

It did not appear that the authorities were able to get much more information out of Russell Trenholm, John or Ruth Creamer. The special reporter eventually went back to Saint John and the search for the children was called off.

Shortly after, with the newspapers having not much to report, people lost interest in the case and it was forgotten.

It wasn't until a curious note from a 1984 book called Glimpses of the Past by Michael MacKenzie came to be, that perhaps an answer to what happened to the Creamer children was known.

According to Michael MacKenzie, an old man showed up to the village about 60 years after the children disappeared and began asking strange questions to people.

The man asked people if they recognized him and if they remembered a man named John Creamer. The old man said John was his father and that when he was little his mother told him his father had been abusive so she sent her kids away from him for safety.

The man claimed one day his father had passed out drunk, and his mother had someone take him and his sister into the woods to meet their brother who was waiting for them with a wagon.

Him and his sister were hidden in the wagon and taken to the Cape Tormentine railway station. Their uncle took them on the train to Toronto, Ontario, where they lived with their grandparents. The man said his mother did not go with as she was trying to distract the police from searching for them.

Eventually, after the search and interest was lost, their mother and older sister did join them in Ontario.

It appeared that all these years later none of the locals knew what this man was talking about so nothing much came of it. Perhaps this strange older man really was Ralph Creamer, and perhaps his story was true.

The disappearance of the Creamer children still remains a mystery on the internet.

[trilogiesofterror]

FANS OF THE ALIENIST WILL LOVE THE RIPPER LIVES

The Ripper Lives is a Victorian gothic murder mystery that continues the story of Jack the Ripper after the Canonical Five. The serialized novel is narrated from a first-person perspective by Scotland Yard Inspector Frederick Abberline after retirement. Abberline, greatly bothered that the public has never been given closure in the Ripper case, finally reveals what happened after the death of Mary Jane Kelly, confirming that the Ripper did not just disappear into history as many believe.

Like The Alienist, the 10-part novel follows the 19th-century investigation of an unknown serial killer and includes historical facts. Many famous names associated with the Jack the Ripper case appear and interact with the characters, enhancing the connection between the fictional story and the real-life events.

ABOUT THE RIPPER LIVES: JACK THE RIPPER'S REIGN OF TERROR CONTINUES The world’s most elusive and terrifying serial killer returns in the 10-part Victorian gothic murder mystery series, The Ripper Lives. Dripping with 19th-century atmosphere and intrigue, each thrilling, suspense-filled chapter ends with a shocking cliffhanger that compels the reader forward. The fear builds as the historical horror story unfolds, culminating in an explosive, mind-bending conclusion.

The Ripper Lives is a sequel to the true story that commences after the slayings of the Canonical Five. As a secretly appointed task force works to bring the butcher to justice under the radar of the newspapers, the unsuspecting public believes the threat has subsided. But while hiding in the shadows, the serial killer's compulsion to mutilate has grown exponentially stronger, and for Whitechapel, the harrowing nightmare of tension and terror has only just begun.

BOOK SERIES PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CR7Y98R6

[deeploretv]

Buffalo New York's House of Horrors

The property at 107 Sheffield Avenue in South Buffalo, New York, harbors a dark history marked by multiple grim discoveries over the years. The narrative of tragedy began to unfold on June 23, 2020, when police responded to a welfare check and discovered the first of several bodies. Subsequent discoveries include another body found on September 11, 2022, leading to an arrest, and a third body unearthed in August 2023 in the house's yard.

The most heart-wrenching incident occurred when Jaylen Griffin, a 12-year-old boy reported missing since August 4, 2020, was found deceased in the house's attic on April 12, 2024. His body, severely decomposed, was identified through dental records. This marked the fourth body found at this address in four years, concluding a prolonged and sorrowful search. Jaylen had told his mother he was visiting a nearby store but never returned, sparking a case initially treated as a runaway situation.

The frequent tenant turnover at this address, combined with its history of housing individuals recently released from prison, adds layers of complexity to the ongoing investigations. The residence, owned by Sunrise West LLC and managed under suspicious conditions, has been subject to numerous police visits and a negligence lawsuit following a fire caused by a tenant.

These continuous and varied incidents at 107 Sheffield Avenue have cast a long shadow over the community, prompting extensive police investigations and drawing attention from local activists determined to unearth the truth and secure justice for the victims, including the unfortunate young Jaylen Griffin.

[jeandejard3n]

True Detective: Rust Cohle's Office

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ELIJAH VUE: The Missing 3 Year Old Boy from Wisconsin

[Ongoing Investigation]

Elijah Vue is a 3 year old boy from Twin Rivers, Wisconsin, who seemingly vanished without a trace

Elijah Vue is a 3 year old boy from Wisconsin, who vanished from an apartment in Two Rivers on Feb. 20, where he was staying with his mother's boyfriend, Jesse Vang.

Elijah was last seen at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at an apartment building in the 3900 block of Mishicot Road in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

Elijah’s mother, Katerina Baur, (31) and her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, (39) have been charged with felony child neglect.

Elijah was sent to stay with Vang in Two Rivers by his mother for "disciplinary purposes,” according to Manitowoc County District Attorney Jacalyn LaBre.

Katrina lived in Wisconsin Dells when Elijah went missing and had been traveling back and forth between there and Two Rivers

Investigators said Katrina sent Elijah to stay with her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, in Two Rivers to "learn how to be a man." on February 20th, Vang told police when he woke up from a nap, and the little boy was gone.

Jodi Baur, Elijah’s grandmother, said the last time she spoke to Katrina was March 1, after she had been arrested and charged with child neglect.

"When you did talk to her, is she asking, where's Elijah? Is she still wanting to know where he is?" Reporters asked.

Baur said she thinks getting answers relies on her daughter receiving mental health care.

"Until we get her in touch with what's real and what's not real, we're not going to know," Baur said.

In a recent interview with Katrina, she said the following about Elijah’s disappearance:

"You find yourself driving alone, you're looking in every ditch, you're looking in every lake, you're looking at every, you know, farm field. And it's just you, just the trauma doesn't stop because there's no closure," Baur said. "Please keep looking for him because somebody is going to find something."

A post was made to social media about a $40,000 reward for any information leading to Elijahs whereabouts.

The post reads:

“10,000 from Manitowoc County Crime Stoppers for the arrest and charging of the individual/s responsible for his disappearance, $15,000 for information leading to the location and return of Elijah Vue and/or the arrest and conviction of the individual/s involved in his disappearance, and an additional $15,000 thanks to funds raised by donations set up through the City of Two Rivers.”

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the department by phone at 844-267-6648, through the Manitowoc County Crime Stoppers P3 App, or via email at trpolice@two-rivers.org

As Katrina and Vang remain in jail, Elijah remains missing.

____________________________________________

TWIN RIVERS POLICE DEPARTMENT:

844-267-6648

trpolice@two-rivers.org

____________________________________________

SOURCE(S):https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/03/19/wisconsin-toddler-elijah-vue-missing/73032668007/#

[julieschulerart]

Bella in the Wych Elm. Art Print.

[ruohteloiv]

Gay Gibson (16 June 1926 – 18 October 1947)

TW: True Crime, Death, Disturbing details.

"a beastly thing to do"

Re-coloured photo rendering of actress 'Gay Gibson' (Eileen Isabella Ronnie Gibson) - who went missing from the Durban Castle during a voyage between Cape Town, South Africa and Southampton, England in 1947.

The criminal case that followed was known as the Porthole Murder. Deck steward James Camb would later be convicted, after admitting to pushing Gay's body through her cabin porthole, discarding of the corpse 25 feet into the "shark infested" depths below.

Camb denied killing Gibson, claiming she had died of a "sudden illness" during consensual intercourse. He disposed of her body in a panic, fearing for his job, later describing this as "a beastly thing to do". Camb was sentenced to death, but a suspension of the death penalty meant he served just 11 years for the murder, though was later convicted of unrelated crimes - an additional 10 years.

It seems apparent through subsequent interviews with fellow shipmates and previous coworkers of Gay Gibson, that she did infact suffer with ongoing health issues, including an undisclosed heart problem and fainting spells. Evidence examined at the trial saw significant injuries to Camb's wrist, Gay's urine on her cabin bed and blood on her pillow. Gay was possibly pregnant at the time of her death.

Sources:

Death of an Actress - Antony M Brown

Death Cruise - cruiselinehistory.com

Wikipedia

[giftshopofcuriosities]

The Zodiac killer struck fear throughout the Vallejo, California community through 1968 and 1969 after several killings of couples in secluded areas. Panic further increased when multiple newspapers received letters from the self-proclaimed Zodiac killer boasting about the crimes and included several ciphers and cryptic clues for the police to sort out. The Zodiac killer was never caught despite seven confirmed victims, but the police had one serious suspect who was excluded by his DNA following his death. Recently, a software engineer, a mathematician, and a warehouse operator have finally cracked cipher Z-340 that has eluded San Francisco police and FBI for 51 years!

This case remains unsolved.

More info 

More info

[criminol]

The Unsolved Murder of Jessie Earl

Jessie Earl was a 22-year-old art student studying at Eastbourne College of Art and Design. Described as independent and strong, Jessie enjoyed reading and walking along the coast.

On 15th May 1980, Jessie rang her mother from a payphone on the seafront, she said she would visit on Friday. On Friday, when Jessie did not return home, her mother decided to go to Jessie’s apartment and see why she had changed her plans.

On 18th May, Jessie’s mother arrived at her daughter’s apartment and realised something was wrong- the place looked abandoned yet Jessie’s purse remained on the bed, the diary Jessie wrote in daily gave no indication she had gone anywhere. The police were called but no trace of Jessie or clues as to what happened to her could be found.

In 1989, a skeleton was discovered in undergrowth on Beachy Head, this was identified as Jessie’s body. The body was nude with a bra tied around the wrists, her jewellery was missing. A coroner claimed Jessie had committed suicide despite her parents arguing that she had no reason to and was not unhappy.

In 2000, Jessie’s death was classified as murder, however due to the original investigation being closed as a suicide, evidence had been destroyed including the bra which had been found, this prevented modern forensic techniques being used and was described as a ‘significant mistake.’

Serial killer and sex offender, Peter Tobin, was known to have been in the area of the murder at the time and Jessie had fit his victim profile however due to a lack of evidence from the crime scene no link could be found. Jessie’s murder was also linked to the unsolved murder of Louise Kays, who disappeared from Eastbourne in 1968, Louise also frequented the Beachy Head area. It was also speculated Louise was a victim of Peter Tobin, though no evidence could be found. Louise’s murder is unsolved.

Jessie’s murder remains unsolved.

[whitecappslll]

lizbeth *Lizzie* Borden,  was an American woman tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and despite ostracism from other residents, Borden spent the remainder of her life in Fall River. She died in 1927. * The top photo is obviously a clever edit *  But the vintage newspaper headlines are real. 

[lollytruecrimeworld]

Gloucestershire Unsolved

Why Are These Cases Cold & Forgotten

Twenty days ago we began the arduous task of a deep-dive review of four unsolved murder cases in Cheltenham, Stroud, Coleford and Stonehouse.

The first of these murders that need our attention is that of Constance “Little Granny” Aris.

On February 28th 1985, the pensioner in her 70s was found by her son Keith and daughter-in-law Vanessa in her armchair, she had been battered to death with what was believed to have been an axe, the TV was still on.

Connie had been out in the early evening of February 27th 1985 to attend a Friendly Society meeting at St Marks Community Centre in Cheltenham. Sometime between 6.30 pm that evening and 9 am on 28th February she was murdered.

Now one thing that we need to clarify is the date of the killing as the national database for deaths clearly shows Constance E E Aris of Cheltenham deceased in 1986.

This is the copy of the record taken from Findmypast.com

Death quarter 2, Registration Month 4

Death year 1986, District Cheltenham

Register number 486, County Gloucestershire

Volume 22, Page 1441

So this is something we are currently exploring and have contacted witnesses to further explore this. Obviously, I will report back when we have clarification.

Links to this investigation

Since we began to review this case we have identified two possible links to other unsolved killings, one in Bristol and one in Plymouth but we cannot go into any detail on this just at the moment, as enquiries are ongoing.

Carmel Gamble

The fire brigade attended the cottage after a fire was reported at the Rodborough address. As part of the search discovered the body of severely anorexic Carmel Gamble who was 43 years old.

The worrying thing was that she had not died as a result of the fire, she had been beaten to death with several severe blows to her skull. She had been badly mutilated and then piles of clothes set around the body and set alight using paraffin as an accelerant.

There has never been any sign of this case being solved despite evidence from a woman who came forward a few years later.

In the relatively few days since we began looking at these cases we have been able to speak to two people who recall the case and are willing to talk to us. We will bring an update as we get it.

Courtney Davies

This murder was pretty horrific with the victim being a well-known gangster. His badly burned body was found frozen by wildlife rangers Neil Sollis and Ray Beasley in High Meadow Woods near Coleford Gloucestershire, it was around 9 am December 21st 2004.

The post-mortem revealed that he had been stabbed some 70 times and his throat had been cut. There was a strong smell f petrol which may well have caused the woodland fire.

Courtney Davies was a well known criminal from Cardiff with convictions for drugs, firearms and violence. In 1986 he had been sent to prison for 15 years for a violent robbery of the home of a Welsh businessman. Davies had been released in 1994 having served eight years of the sentence.

This murder is believed to have been a gangland killing it is our early opinion that this is correct.

Police appealed for the drivers of a red Ford Escort, a white Lexus, amd a red & white motorcycle seen along the A4136 between 1050 pm and 1150 pm on the night of December 19th 2004 but to no avail.

DNA found on a cigarette butt led to some arrests and 32-year-old Malcolm Martin was put on trial at Bristol Crown Court, however, the trial collapsed before it could begin and Mr Martin who had been deaf and mute since the age of 12 when he had meningitis said the arrest ruined his life.

Gloucestershire Police say that there is really very little chance of a conviction but regardless of this man’s convictions, I feel that the case needs to be reviewed, not just written off.

Richard Miles

The last case I want to bring to you as we review is that of 29-year-old Richard Miles who was stabbed to death in the back garden of his home in Newtown Near Stonehouse Gloucestershire on March 10th 1993.

He was by all accounts a well liked man and there seems to have been no explanation for the stabbing.

Over 40 police officers were drafted in to work on the case, stopping 1,140 cars and questioning 277 people that had passed through the area on the day of the killing but to no avail.

Three men were arrested in November 2013 in connection with the case, two on suspicion of murder and the third on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, they were released on bail pending further enquiries but nothing has ever come of it and the case was discontinued.

Several mystery persons have never been identified including an ‘attractive woman’ pushing a buggy near Richard’s home on the day of the killing despite police interviewing mums at Eastington Nursery School and two men seen in a nearby field.

Mr Miles was a chronic cannabis smoker but police said at the time there was no evidence to suggest any link between his drug taking and his death. It is possible that this could have been the link but I somehow doubt it as he worked full time and had no other debts so it is unlikely he would have had a ‘drugs debt’.

Richard’s mother was the person who found her son’s lifeless body with a knife buried in his chest and his father said that she will never recover from that day.

Why was this man killed? He worked full time as a panel beater and police were unable to find anyone who even had a bad word to say about him so what caused his murder? Hopefully we can start to get some answers to these questions, as despite the passage of time someone out there knows what happened and who was responsible.

Ongoing Enquiries

We are spending time speaking to people in each area, taking photographs and video footage as well as making enquiries into the victim’s lifestyles and backgrounds.

We will keep updating this blog or post new ones as time passes and the investigations continue, obviously if we find evidence that could lead to a conviction the information will be passed immediately to the police.

Look forward to bringing you more as we get it.

Please wish us luck and help us to fund our daily enquiries by clicking the link to Buy Me A Coffee

If you’d like to discuss the case or indeed any part of our work please do get in touch.

Email:

Lolly-truecrime@protonmail.com

or

UCMPTUK@protonmail.com

[conradscrime]

The Crimes of Kate Webster & Murder of Julia Thomas

June 19, 2023

In a two-storey villa in Richmond, London, a former teacher named Julia Martha Thomas lived. Having been widowed twice, she had lived on her own at 2 Mayfield Cottages in Park Road since 1873, after her second husband died. 

At the time, Julia was about 54 years old, and was described as well dressed and eccentric. She would often leave and travel around, and her friends would have no idea where she was for periods of time. These periods could last for a couple weeks or even months. 

Though Julia was not extremely wealthy, it is said she would often wear jewellery to make people believe she had money. It was also said that Julia was not the nicest employer, often making it hard for her to keep a live-in domestic maid for long periods of time. 

On January 29, 1879, a woman named Kate Webster was employed as Julia’s servant. Kate was born around 1849 in Killanne. There is not much information known about Kate’s life, but it was believed that she had claimed to have been married to a sea captain called Webster and had 4 children with him. Kate said that both her husband and all of her children had died.

Kate had also spent time in prison in Wexford in December 1864 for larceny (stealing) around the age of 15. Kate came to England in 1867, and was sentenced to 4 years of penal servitude for larceny in Liverpool in February 1868. 

It is often hard to know much about Kate’s life because it appears her reputation is one full of deceit. Kate claimed to have been released from prison in January 1872, and later became friends with a family named Porter. On April 18,1874, Kate gave birth to a son, but the father is unknown as she named 3 possible men that it could be. 

Kate moved around quite a bit and used a number of aliases, including Webb, Gibbs, Gibbons and Lawler. She was again convicted of larceny in May 1875, facing 36 charges. Again, in February 1877 she was convicted and sentenced to 12 months in prison for larceny. Her son was taken care of by her friend Sarah Crease during the times Kate was in prison. Sarah worked as a charwoman for a woman named Miss Loder.

In January 1879 Kate took over for Sarah when she became ill and while working, Miss Loder who knew Julia was looking for a servant, recommended Kate. It is believed that when Julia met Kate she did not ask any questions about her past. 

It didn’t take long for the two women to begin despising one another. Julia would often complain that Kate’s work was not satisfactory, and it got to the point where Julia would try to get friends to stay in the house with her because she did not like being alone with Kate. About one month after beginning to work for her, on February 28, Kate was fired. 

However, Kate had convinced Julia to allow her to work for a few more days until March 2. 

On March 2, Julia and Kate got into a big argument as Kate had made Julia late for her service at the local church. When Julia returned home from church around 9pm, Kate later confessed that they had fought more and Kate ended up throwing Julia from the top of the stairs to the bottom. Kate then choked her.

Julia hitting the ground made a large thud, which neighbours did hear, but they ignored it as they believed it to only be a chair falling over. Kate then began to dismember and boil and burn Julia’s remains. 

Within the next couple of days, Kate cleaned Julia’s house and clothes. She also began packing the remains into a black Gladstone bag and a corded wooden box. There was not enough room for the head or one of the feet, so Kate threw the foot into a garbage heap and buried the head under the stables, close to Julia’s house. 

On March 4, Kate went to see her old neighbours, the Porter’s, who she had not seen in 6 years. She was wearing Julia’s clothes and was carrying the black bag that she had put some of Julia’s remains in. Kate called herself “Mrs. Thomas” and told the Porters she had married, had a child and was widowed. She also told them she had been left a house in Richmond. 

Kate asked Porter and his son if they wanted to go to a pub, and while doing so she assumingly dropped the bag of remains into the River Thames, where it was never found. She also asked Robert, the son, if he would help her carry a heavy box to the station. Kate then dropped the box into the Thames. 

The next day, on March 5, the box was washed up next to the river bank. The man who found it originally believed there to be items of a burglary and when opening the box he found what appeared to be body parts wrapped in brown paper. A doctor was called immediately to determine the remains appeared to be that of a woman. 

Around this time, a foot and ankle were found in Twickenham, where Kate had thrown the foot that wouldn’t fit. The remains were all believed to be from the same person but there was no way to identify said person. The remains were burned on March 19 and there was speculation that the remains had been used for anatomical purposes. 

Kate kept living at Julia’s house, posing as her, and on March 9, she made an agreement with a man named John Church to sell Julia’s furniture to him for his pub. 

By March 18, neighbours suspicions kept raising as they realized they had not seen Julia around for almost 2 weeks. Julia’s neighbour asked who had Julia’s furniture removed from the property and they replied that it was Julia herself, indicating Kate. Kate, now knowing that her charade was up, fled back to Ireland. 

Police were called to the property and found blood stains, burned bones and a letter left by Kate that had her home address on it. A wanted notice was put up and detectives soon found Kate and her son back in Ireland. 

Kate was arrested on March 29, after the head constable in Wexford recognized her to be the same person they had arrested 14 years prior for larceny. 

Kate’s trial began on July 2, 1879 at the Central Criminal Court. The case was huge -- people from all over were very interested in Kate and her crimes, with the trial attendance being crowded. Kate had actually tried to implicate John Church and her friend Porter, though both men had solid alibis. 

She pleaded not guilty, and the defence argued she could not be capable of murder due to her having a young son. After only an hour and 15 minutes of deliberation the jury decided that Kate was guilty of murder and it had been premeditated. Kate actually pleaded and said she was pregnant, trying to avoid the death penalty. 

Kate was taken in for an examination to determine if she truly was pregnant, and it was said that she was not “quick with child” though that meant she could still be pregnant. 

Right before she was executed, Kate made a statement stating that the father of her child was the one who participated in the murder of Julia and was the reason she had lived a life of crime to begin with. On July 28, the night before her execution, she recanted the statement, taking responsibility, and also stating that John Church, Porter and her child’s father were not to blame. 

On July 29, 1879, Kate Webster was hanged at 9am at Wandsworth Prison. She was buried in an unmarked grave in one of the prison’s yards. The crowd waiting at her execution cheered when a black flag was raised over the prison, meaning the execution had gone through. 

Julia’s property was auctioned off, the day after Kate had been executed. John Church managed to still get Julia’s furniture, as well as the knife that she had been dismembered with. Julia’s house was unoccupied until 1897, and even then, servants did not really want to work there given the history. 

There have been folktales of a “ghostly nun” that has been seen over the place where Julia is buried. 

In 1952, Sir David Attenborough and his wife Jane bought a house by the Mayfield Cottages and the Hole in the Wall pub. The pub had closed in 2007, but was going to be redeveloped. On October 22, 2010, workmen doing an excavation at the rear of the old pub uncovered a woman’s skull. 

It had been buried underneath the foundations and was immediately believed to be the skull of Julia Thomas as her head was never found. Carbon dating estimated the skull to be from sometime between 1650 and 1880, though it was on top of a layer of Victorian tiles, suggesting it was from the end of this estimate. 

The skull had fractures that matched with someone being thrown down stairs, and also had low collagen levels, possibly from being boiled. In July 2011, it was confirmed that it was the skull of Julia Thomas, 132 years after she had been murdered.