Cheltenham torso mystery
Encyclopedia
The Cheltenham torso mystery began with the discovery of the torso of an unknown man in the River Severn
in 1938. Forensic analysis by Sir Bernard Spilsbury
suggested that the body was that of Captain Butt of Cheltenham
but the case was never officially resolved.
A man's torso was found by fishermen in the Severn near Haw Bridge, Tewkesbury
on 3 February 1938. Dragging the river turned up two legs and two handless arms. The body was thought to be that of Captain William Bernard Butt, aged 52, of 248, Old Bath Road, Cheltenham, who had been missing since January. Sir Bernard Spilsbury carried out a post-mortem on the torso and other remains: he considered that they were parts of the same body and found several points of similarity with the missing Captain.
Brian Sullivan, a 27-year-old dancer, the son of a nurse who looked after Butt's invalid wife, had committed suicide at his mother's home at Tower Lodge, Leckhampton
, a few days after the Captain's disappearance and his blood-stained overcoat was found under the floorboards there.
Extensive searches failed to find the head and hands of the body, and the inquest left the identity of the remains and cause of death officially undetermined.
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
in 1938. Forensic analysis by Sir Bernard Spilsbury
Bernard Spilsbury
Sir Bernard Henry Spilsbury was an English pathologist. His cases include Hawley Harvey Crippen, the Seddon case and Major Armstrong poisonings, the "brides in the bath" murders by George Joseph Smith, Louis Voisin, Jean-Pierre Vaquier, the Crumbles murders, Norman Thorne, Donald Merrett, the...
suggested that the body was that of Captain Butt of Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
but the case was never officially resolved.
A man's torso was found by fishermen in the Severn near Haw Bridge, Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
on 3 February 1938. Dragging the river turned up two legs and two handless arms. The body was thought to be that of Captain William Bernard Butt, aged 52, of 248, Old Bath Road, Cheltenham, who had been missing since January. Sir Bernard Spilsbury carried out a post-mortem on the torso and other remains: he considered that they were parts of the same body and found several points of similarity with the missing Captain.
Brian Sullivan, a 27-year-old dancer, the son of a nurse who looked after Butt's invalid wife, had committed suicide at his mother's home at Tower Lodge, Leckhampton
Leckhampton
Leckhampton is a district in south Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The area constitutes a civil parish and is part of the district of Cheltenham.-History:...
, a few days after the Captain's disappearance and his blood-stained overcoat was found under the floorboards there.
Extensive searches failed to find the head and hands of the body, and the inquest left the identity of the remains and cause of death officially undetermined.