True Crime Collection

Hammersmith Nude Murders

The Hammersmith nude murders is the name of a series of six murders in West London, England, in 1964 and 1965. The victims, all prostitutes, were found undressed in or near the River Thames, leading the press to nickname the killer Jack the Stripper (a reference to "Jack the Ripper"). Two earlier murders, committed in West London in 1959 and 1963, have also been linked by some investigators to the same perpetrator.

Elizabeth Figg was found dead at 5:10 am on 17th June 1959 by police officers on routine patrol in Duke's Meadows, Chiswick, on the north bank of the River Thames. The park had a reputation as a lovers' lane, and prostitutes were known to take their clients there.

Elizabeth's body was found on scrubland between Dan Mason Drive and the river's towpath, approximately 200 yards (180 m) west of Barnes Bridge. Her dress was torn at the waist and opened to reveal her breasts; marks around the neck were consistent with strangulation. Elizabeth's underwear and shoes were missing, and no identification or personal possessions were found. A pathologist concluded that death had occurred between midnight and 2:00 a.m. on 17th June.

A post-mortem photograph of Elizabeth's face distributed to the press was independently recognized by her roommate and her mother.

Extensive searches of the area – including the river bed – failed to find Elizabeth's underwear, black stiletto shoes, or white handbag. A police official theorized that she had been murdered by a client in his car, after removing her shoes and underwear, and that these and her handbag had then remained in the car after the body was disposed of at Duke's Meadows. The proprietor of a pub on the opposite side of the river to where Elizabeth was found said that on the night of the murder he and his wife had seen a car's headlights as it parked in that area at 12:05 a.m. Shortly after the lights were switched off, they heard a woman's scream.

The body of Gwynneth Rees was found on 8th November 1963 at the Barnes Borough Council household refuse disposal site on Townmead Road, Mortlake. The dump was situated 40 yards (37 m) from the Thames towpath, and approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from Duke's Meadows.

Gwynneth was naked except for a single stocking on her right leg, extending no further up than the ankle. She had been accidentally decapitated by a shovel which workmen had been using to level the refuse.

Hannah Tailford was found dead on 2nd February 1964 on the Thames foreshore below Linden House – the clubhouse of the London Corinthian Sailing Club – west of Hammersmith Bridge. She had been strangled, several of her teeth were missing, and her underwear had been stuffed into her mouth.

Irene Lockwood was found dead on 8th April 1964 on the foreshore of the Thames at Corney Reach, Chiswick, not far from where Hannah had been found. With the discovery of this third victim, police realized that a serial murderer was at large. Irene was pregnant at the time of her death.

East Lothian-born Helen Barthelemy was found dead on 24th April 1964 in an alleyway at the rear of 199 Boston Manor Road, Brentford. Helen's death gave investigators their first solid piece of evidence in the case: flecks of paint used in car manufacturing. Police felt that the paint had probably come from the killer's workplace; they therefore focused on tracing it to a business nearby

Mary Fleming's body was found on 14th July 1964 outside 48 Berrymede Road, Chiswick. Once again, paint spots were found on the body; many neighbours had also heard a car reversing down the street just before the body was discovered.

Frances Brown was last seen alive on 23rd October 1964 by a colleague who saw her get into a client's car; on 25th November her body was found in a car park on Hornton Street, Kensington. She had been strangled. The colleague was able to provide police with an identikit picture and a description of the car, thought to be a grey Ford Zephyr. Brown had testified as a witness for the defence, along with Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies, at the trial of Stephen Ward in July 1963.