Cleveland Torso Murderer

The Cleveland Torso Murderer was an unidentified serial killer active in the Cleveland, Ohio, area in the early 20th century. The official toll of the murderer, who was also known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run was 12, killed between 1935 to 1938, but some believe that there may have been as many as 40 victims in the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Youngstown, Ohio, area between the 1920s and the 1950s. Two strong candidates for addition to the list of those killed are the unknown victim nicknamed the Lady of the Lake, found on September 5, 1934, and Robert Robertson, found on July 22, 1950.

Related Topics:
Serial killer - Cleveland, Ohio - 20th century - 1935 - 1938 - Pittsburgh - Youngstown, Ohio - 1920s - 1950s - September 5 - 1934 - July 22 - 1950

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The victims were usually drifters whose identities were never determined, although there are several exceptions to this (victims number 2, 3, and 8 were identified as Edward Andrassy, Flo Polillo and possibly Rose Wallace, respectively). Invariably, all the victims, male and female, appeared to be from the lower classes of society—easy prey in Depression-era Cleveland.

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The Torso Murderer always beheaded and often dismembered his victims, sometimes also cutting the torso in half. Most of the male victims were castrated, and some victims showed evidence of chemical treatment of their bodies. Many of the victims were found a considerable period after their deaths, sometimes a year or more, which made identification nearly impossible, especially since the heads were often not found.

Related Topics:
Behead - Dismember - Castrated

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Eliot Ness was the Public Safety Director of Cleveland during the period of "official" murders. Failure to apprehend the murderer was perhaps the major failure of his tenure and is thought by many to be a contributor to his declining status in later years. Some have called Ness the 14th victim of the Torso Murderer.

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