Historian Lucy Worsley is turning detective to solve a series of 137-year-old murders that occurred at the same time as Jack the Ripper's killings. The crimes, known as the Thames Torso Murders, involved dismembered body parts being dumped in and around the River Thames. Worsley's new BBC docuseries, Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club, explores whether the same person committed both sets of murders.
Initially, Worsley believed the two serial killers might be the same person, given the proximity of the crimes. However, she was later persuaded otherwise, noting that overcrowding and deprivation in Victorian London created conditions that allowed multiple killers to operate. 'When you've got people living in conditions of deprivation, overcrowding, a transient population, you do get more serial killing because it's easier for people to disappear,' she explained.
The Thames Torso Murders involved four canonical victims, only one of whom was identified: Elizabeth Jackson, a pregnant prostitute in her early twenties. The killer's hallmark was scattering body parts in the Thames, which washed away evidence. Worsley assembled a 'murder club' of historians and experts to investigate, drawing on a tradition dating back to the early 19th century.
Despite the grisly subject matter, Worsley admitted a 'guilty pleasure' in exploring the case. However, she said the most distressing aspect was not the violence itself but the impact on the victims' families. The series also highlights the misogyny of the era, with victims often reduced to grim newspaper illustrations.
The investigation was cracked by true crime author Sarah Bax Horton, who used online newspaper databases unavailable to Victorian police. While the series does not identify all the victims, it presents a compelling case for the identity of the Thames Torso Murderer. Worsley expressed delight at the outcome, though she acknowledged it would not stand up in court.
