True Stories: Torso In The Thames: Adam's Story10:00 pm Thursday 28 August 2003
When the mutilated torso of a young boy was discovered in the River Thames in September 2001, it sparked one of the most challenging murder investigations ever mounted by the Metropolitan Police.
The brutal, yet calculated method of dismemberment of the child suggested voodoo practices to the police. Was he the tiny victim of a bizarre human sacrifice?
With no one coming forward to claim the boy and a body with no head and no fingerprints, police had few clues to follow. The only things they knew for certain was that the child was of African origin, aged between five and six and had a pair of orange shorts placed on his body after his death.
The police named the boy Adam to give him an identity and launched a hunt for his killer that would take them across the globe, turning to experts in forensics, cults and ritual murder. Their search involved examining the very air Adam breathed and the food he ate.
Evidence mounted of disturbing links to organised human trafficking of African children into the UK for slavery and sex work, as police followed a sordid trail to Adam's fate.
Production Details:
Produced by Emma Whitlock, Executive Producer Dan Korn 3BM television London.