Buzz
Finding sacks filled with lifeless bodies or even just torsos was a frequent occurrence in the early 20th century. A quick look through US and Australian newspaper archives reveals numerous instances where bodies were found abandoned in sacks.
A limited variety of sacks were used to store the bodies. The most common of these was the gunnysack, also known as a burlap bag. Cornsacks were also utilized, with the only difference between the two being the bag's size and its original purpose before being repurposed to hold a body.
There were a few rare instances where smaller bags were employed, forcing the murderer to dismember the body and distribute the pieces into several bags. However, this was a tedious process, and most killers were unlikely to exert such effort for a single crime.
The majority of body sack cases remained unsolved. These occurrences were usually summarized in brief mentions in local newspapers. Many of these cases involved dismembered torsos, and with no other identifying features, the mysteries surrounding them endured without resolution.
10. A Floating Body
The primary rule for disposing of a body in a sack is to weigh it down before tossing it into a deep body of water. It's unclear how many criminals managed to escape justice by adhering to this simple, yet effective tip. Unfortunately, some murderers failed at even this basic step.
For instance, James Moore from Texas proved to be a particularly careless criminal. In 1898, consumed by jealousy over his wife, he killed her while she slept by crushing her skull with a hammer. He then stabbed her repeatedly before stuffing her into a sack.
Moore then took his wife's lifeless body to the Trinity River and tossed it in. However, he neglected to weigh down the sack, and it was soon discovered floating in the water. Moore was apprehended and admitted to his crime.
9. Four Mysterious Sacks
One morning in 1902, in Indianapolis, Indiana, a young man on his way to work noticed two strangely shaped sacks behind the Central College of Physicians and Surgeons. As he continued walking, he came across an even more bizarre sight: a body-shaped sack resting on top of a dry goods box.
The young man quickly called the police, and soon after, the bicycle patrolmen arrived. They opened the sack on top of the box and found a body inside. Looking into the dry goods box, they found a second body crammed into a sack. Behind the school, they discovered two more bodies.
An investigation was launched, but it was clear to everyone what had happened. The bodies were identified as those recently exhumed from nearby cemeteries and were intended for dissection by the doctors.
Seventeen individuals were arrested, including grave robbers, three doctors, an undertaker, the owner of one of the cemeteries, and three night watchmen.
8. Half-Filled Sack
In many cases where bodies were stuffed into sacks, the murderer would either fold the body or amputate a few limbs to make it fit. However, in 1939, one murderer simply couldn’t be bothered with either option.
In 1939, a body was found floating in a private dam in Wycheproof Shire, Victoria, Australia. What made this case particularly odd was that the body’s legs were placed in a sack tied around the victim's hips, as if the murderer thought, 'Why bother?' and discarded the victim half-sacked into the water.
No mention was made of any heavy objects in the sack to weigh it down. Additionally, the victim had head injuries that suggested the cause of death was murder, rather than suicide.
The identity of the victim remains unknown.
7. Who Knows, Who Cares?
In 1910, a typical gruesome sack discovery came from Montana. A chef out fishing found a sack filled with bones along the riverbank. The police were summoned to investigate. Upon their arrival, they noticed a bone protruding from the sack.
The officers examined the contents and declared them “too decomposed to identify.” It could have been a person, a dog, or even a calf for all they cared.
Rather than having an expert identify the bones, the officers simply buried the sack where it was found and continued with their day.
6. Laziness or Lack of Curiosity
For two weeks in 1926, thousands of people in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, crossed over the bridge and noticed an object floating in the water. It didn't spark much interest, as it appeared to be just a bag in the muddy waters.
One day, a man saw that the sack had risen higher than before. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an ear and part of a head sticking out from the bag.
The police were called, and they retrieved the sack from the water. Inside, they discovered the bloated body of a man.
Although no follow-up was found in the newspapers, it's intriguing that no one thought to investigate the bag. This kind of apathy seems more typical of today's society, not the people of nearly 100 years ago.
5. No Missing Person Report
One of the rare ways police in the early 20th century could identify an unknown body was by consulting missing persons reports. If someone from the area had recently been reported missing, the body was assumed to be theirs, or relatives were called in for further identification.
If no local person had been reported missing and no confessions were made regarding the murder, the body would remain unidentified. Without any identification, the case would remain unresolved.
In 1929, a chaff bag was found on the creek banks in Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia, after recent floods. A rabbit trapper discovered the bag and decided to open it up.
Inside, the torso of a man was found. His head, hands, and legs had been severed, likely to fit the body into the sack and hinder identification. It was estimated that the man had been dead for just under three months.
The police inspector was mystified by the case. Not only did he face an unidentified body, but no one had been reported missing during the past three months.
4. Quite A Haul
Fishermen who can't catch a fish often end up hauling in an old boot instead. That’s the usual cartoon stereotype. Unfortunately, there have been more instances of bodies being pulled from the water than misplaced shoes.
Such was the case in 1910 when a man was fishing at Tooradin, Victoria, Australia. He hauled up a heavy sack from the water’s depths, noticing a pale, clammy hand protruding from the side of the bag. The sack had been tied off with a rope.
The victim was described as a well-dressed man who had been seen walking around Tooradin the day before his body was found. The locals believed he was a city dweller who had been camping near the river.
When the authorities visited the victim’s campsite, they found his belongings neatly arranged, with everything seemingly in order. This led them to conclude that the unidentified man had taken his own life in an unusually strange manner.
3. Sacked With Arms Sticking Out
Imagine waking up one morning, heading to the bathroom, already anticipating the damp morning stench. But instead of the usual smell, you're confronted with a sight that will stay with you forever. It was truly something out of a horror movie.
In the summer of 1910, a chilling discovery was made in Bonner, Montana. A man's body was found inside an outhouse, stuffed into a gunnysack that had been sewn shut. Strangely, the person who sealed the bag left the victim's arms protruding from the sides of the sack at the seams.
While suicides in outhouses were not uncommon in the early 1900s, it seemed highly unlikely that someone would sew themselves inside a bag with their arms sticking out and then carry out the tragic act. Because of this, law enforcement and investigators were nearly certain that this was a case of murder.
2. Hair Completely Cut Off
One morning, as two men were preparing to leave Lyon, France, and venture into the countryside, they came across an unusual sack on the ground. Naturally, they opened it, only to discover the body of a woman. Blood was visible around her lips and nostrils, and it appeared that her hair had been completely shaved off.
Authorities were notified, and soon the body was identified as that of Marie Servageon. Her husband was located and revealed that his wife had vanished the day before, on June 13, 1908. He found her sudden disappearance strange, but chose not to report it to the police, hoping she would return the next morning.
The police didn't think much of the husband's lack of urgency about his wife's disappearance. They assumed she had been abducted and murdered by unknown perpetrators.
No further updates were provided on the case. It seems that the husband was never charged with the murder, and the kidnappers were never found.
1. Where Is The Rest?
Throughout history, many bodies dumped in lakes and rivers were found as nothing more than torsos. In the early 1900s, identifying these torsos was nearly impossible unless they had distinguishing tattoos or scars. Often, these torso cases remained a mystery, with the rest of the body parts never recovered.
For example, in 1914, a sack was pulled from the Mohawk River in New York. Inside, they found the naked torso of a woman. Her head, arms, and legs had been severed. The authorities investigated, but with no DNA testing available, there was little hope of identifying the torso.
Similarly, in 1921, a torso was discovered in Rogers, Texas. Two fishermen discovered a floating sack in the river. Inside, they found a woman’s torso, with her head and legs missing, though her arms were still attached.
