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.

Victims

Most researchers consider there to be twelve definite victims of the Torso Murder, and anywhere from one to thirty possible victims.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 1 was an unidentified male found in the Jackass Hill area of Kingsbury Run (near East 49th and Praha Avenue) on September 23 1935. Early estimates were that victim number 1 had been dead seven to ten days when found. Later estimates were that the man had been dead from three to four weeks when found.

Related Topics:
September 23 - 1935

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Edward W. Andrassy was found in the Jackass Hill area of Kingsbury Run on September 23, 1935, about thirty feet from victim number one. It was estimated that Andrassy had been dead two to three days when found.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Florence Genevieve Polillo, also known by numerous aliases, was found behind a business at 2315 E. 20th Street in downtown Cleveland on January 26 1936. It was estimated that Pollilo had been dead two to four days when found.

Related Topics:
January 26 - 1936

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 4 was an unidentified male, also famously known as the "tattooed man", found in Kingsbury Run on June 5 1936. It was estimated that victim number 4 had been dead two days when found. The victim possessed six unusual tattoos, one including the names "Helen and Paul" and another displaying the initials "W.C.G."; his undershorts bore a laundry mark indicating the owner's initials were J.D. In addition, despite morgue and death mask inspections by thousands of Cleveland citizens in the summer of 1936, the "tattooed man" was never identified.

Related Topics:
June 5 - 1936 - Tattoo - Morgue - Death mask

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 5 was an unidentified male, found in the sparsely populated Big Creek area of Brooklyn, west of Cleveland on July 22 1936. It was estimated that victim number 5 had been dead two months when found. This was the only known West Side victim.

Related Topics:
July 22 - 1936

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 6 was an unidentified male, found in Kingsbury Run on September 10 1936. It was estimated that victim number 6 had been dead two days when found.

Related Topics:
September 10 - 1936

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 7 was an unidentified female, found near Euclid Beach on the Lake Erie shore on February 23 1937. It was estimated that victim number 7 had been dead three to four days when found. The body of victim number 7 was found at the same spot as the 1934 noncanonical victim, nicknamed "The Lady of the Lake" (see below).

Related Topics:
Lake Erie - February 23 - 1937

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 8, possibly Rose Wallace, was found beneath the Lorain-Carnegie bridge on June 6 1937. It was estimated that victim number 8 had been dead one year when found, which casts some doubt that the victim was Wallace, who was known to have disappeared only ten months earlier. Dental work was considered a close match both by police experts and by her son, who felt certain that the victim was his mother. A definitive identification was not possible however, since the dentist who performed the work had died years before.

Related Topics:
June 6 - 1937

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 9 was an unidentified male, found in Cuyahoga River in the Cleveland Flats on July 6 1937. It was estimated that victim number 9 had been dead two to three days when found.

Related Topics:
July 6 - 1937

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 10 was an unidentified female, found in Cuyahoga River in the Cleveland Flats on April 8 1938. It was estimated that victim number 10 had been dead three to five days when found.

Related Topics:
April 8 - 1938

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 11 was an unidentified female, found at the East 9th Street Lakeshore Dump on August 16 1938. It was estimated that victim number 11 had been dead four to six months when found.

Related Topics:
August 16 - 1938

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Victim number 12 was an unidentified male, found at the East 9th Street Lakeshore Dump on August 16 1938. It was estimated that victim number 12 had been dead seven to nine months when found.

Related Topics:
August 16 - 1938

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Possible victims

Several noncanonical victims are commonly discussed in connection with the Torso Murderer. The first was nicknamed the Lady of the Lake and was found near Euclid Beach on the Lake Erie shore on September 5 1934, at virtually the same spot as canonical victim number 7. Some researchers of the Torso Murderers' victims count the "Lady of the Lake" as victim number 1, as well as "Victim Zero".

Related Topics:
September 5 - 1934

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A headless, unidentified male was found in a boxcar in New Castle, Pennsylvania, on July 1 1936. Three headless victims were found in boxcars near McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, on May 3 1940. All bore similar injuries to those inflicted by the Cleveland killer. Others note that headless bodies were occasionally found in the swamps in this area of Pennsylvania as early as the 1920s.

Related Topics:
New Castle, Pennsylvania - July 1 - 1936 - McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania - May 3 - 1940

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Robert Robertson was found at a business at 2138 Davenport Avenue in Cleveland on July 22 1950. He had been dead six to eight weeks when found and appeared to have been intentionally decapitated.

Related Topics:
July 22 - 1950 - Decapitate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~