From the creators of Small Town Dicks comes a story about the first modern murder investigation...

It was a crime like no other, unleashing horrors not seen since Jack the Ripper.

On a crisp autumn morning in 1935, a brother and sister out for a walk in the Scottish countryside stumbled upon dozens of packages containing dissected human remains. Who - or what - could have done this?

Now largely forgotten, the Ruxton case grabbed worldwide attention. A real-life Agatha Christie mystery, the gruesome details of the murders would shock the public and test the ability of police to keep the public safe.

The case was also the birthplace of modern forensic science. It would alter the course of how murders are investigated.

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It’s a crisp autumn morning in a serene Scottish town called Moffatt. A brother and sister have gone out for a stroll through the woods. As they cross an old stone bridge, they see something in the dry stream bed below. It appears to be a severed arm, the hand reaching up from the dirt. It looks like it’s waving at them. To their horror, they learn the hand is just one of dozens of pieces of human remains scattered across the ravine.

This grisly discovery, made on September 29, 1935, will trigger a murder investigation like something out of an Agatha Christie novel. News of the dismembered bodies and speculation of who they are and what happened to them, will draw the kind of global media coverage not seen since Jack the Ripper. The drive to solve the murders will spark a new era in crime scene management and forensic examination in what might very well be the first modern homicide investigation of the 20th century.

"Beyond Recognition" hosted by Yeardley Smith, delves into one of the most shocking murder cases of the early 20th century. With insights from experts like Tom Wood, Paul Holes, and Professor Sue Black, this episode not only recounts the gruesome details but also examines the psychological and forensic aspects of the case. To support the series go to smalltowndicks.com/superfam

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The leading forensic scientists from Scotland have traveled to the tiny village of Moffatt to examine the body parts discovered in a ravine by a sister and brother out hiking. Authorities do not yet know how many people were killed, or by what method, or where or when; they certainly do not know who the victims are.

Whoever carried out this act of evil took great care to hide the victims’ identities, dissecting them until they were beyond recognition. It will take a monumental, groundbreaking investigation to solve this gruesome puzzle. The first order of business is to collect the evidence and, lucky for all involved, the right policeman had arrived to do just that.

Meanwhile, in the northern British town of Lancaster, we meet an unusual couple. He’s a prim and proper doctor from Bombay, intent on becoming a true English gentleman. She’s a charismatic, outgoing woman ahead of her time - perhaps dangerously so. Their romance appears to be the envy of everyone in town. But their passionate relationship swiftly turns to jealousy and violence. What, if anything, does this volatile domestic situation have to do with the bodies found in the ravine?

"Beyond Recognition" hosted by Yeardley Smith, delves into one of the most shocking murder cases of the early 20th century. With insights from experts like Tom Wood, Paul Holes, and Professor Sue Black, this episode not only recounts the gruesome details but also examines the psychological and forensic aspects of the case. To support the series go to smalltowndicks.com/superfam

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.