Mystery Unsolved Inc True Crime

Mad Butcher of King's Road

This week on Mystery Unsolved Inc, we solve the Mad Butcher of King's Road. One of the most gruesome serial killers of all time.

"Between 1943 and 1938 in King's Road, thirteen people, six women and seven men, were killed by a serial killer. Of those thirteen, only three were identified and almost all of them were vagrants or sex workers. All of the victims were decapitated and in some cases, the head was never found. The killer often dismembered the body through the torso and in no instance was a body found fully intact. These gruesome tendencies earned the killer the name the Mad Butcher of King's Road."

"In the 1930's, King's Road was a bleak and dangerous place where many poor people lived in terrible conditions."

"On September 5th, 1934, the first woman, an unidentified woman in her thirties, was found on the shore. All that was found was part of her torso, thighs, and other body parts but no head. Her skin was leathery and red from a chemical preservative."

"On September 23rd, 1935, the second victim, a twenty-eight year old man named Ed Andrews was found near King's Road. Andrews was a doctor. The body was drained of blood, naked, and emasculated with rope burns on the wrist."

"On the same day, a third victim was found nearby. An unidentified forty year old male, and was also decapitated and emasculated. The body also had the same chemical preservative from the first killing."

"On January 26th, 1936, the fourth victim, Flora Pollyanna was found wrapped up in newspaper inside baskets by a manufacturing building. Pollyanna was a sex worker, barmaid, and waitress."

"On June 5th, 1936, the head of an unidentified man was found wrapped in trousers in King's Road. The rest of the body was found the next day in front of the police building."

"On July 22nd, 1936, the sixth victim, an unidentified forty year old man, was found in the woods. The man had been dead for two months. Blood on the ground suggested he had been killed on-site, and not dumped there, as indicated by the other body sites."

"On September 10th, 1936, the seventh victim, an unidentified man, was found near the train tracks in King's Road. He had been killed by decapitation in a manner that the coroner noticed was confident, in one stroke, which implied the killer was both brazen and educated in anatomy."

"At this point local newspapers reported the killing spree on a near daily basis, and yet, there were no suspects or clues. As expected, this put a considerable amount of heat on the investigating authorities. Two detectives interviewed fifteen hundred people on their own."

"On February 23rd, 1937, parts of the eighth victim, an unidentified woman in her twenties, were found on the shore."

"On June 5th, 1937, the ninth victim, determined to be a Rosa Walden, was found under a bridge. Her remains were merely a skull and a bag of bones."

"On July 6th, 1937, the tenth victim, an unidentified man in his mid-to-late thirties was found in the river. His heart was ripped out and his abdominal area was gutted."

"In April or May of 1938, parts of the eleventh victim, an unidentified woman, was found in the river. Interesting, this was the first time a victim had drugs in their system. This left authorities to wonder whether the drugs were recreational or used to keep her from moving."

"As all of these gruesome murders were according, Mayor Harry increasingly pressured the lead detective, a law enforcement legend."

"On August 16th, 1938, the twelfth and thirteenth victims, both unidentified, were found in perhaps the most reckless location of all. The bodies were found within view of the lead detective's office window. A taunt that obviously resonated with the lead detective."