Adam (murder victim)

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Adam" was the name police gave to an unidentified boy whose torso was discovered in the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, on 21 September 2001. The child was between four and eight years old. Investigators believe the child was likely from southwestern Nigeria, and that several days before his murder, he had been trafficked to the United Kingdom for a ritual sacrifice.[1] As of 2023, nobody has been charged with Adam's murder, and his true identity remains unknown.[2] When he was found, the boy was wearing orange girls' shorts.[3][4]

An examination done after the death of the boy found that he had been poisoned. His throat had been slit, likely to drain blood from his body.[5] Also, his head and limbs had been removed.[2][3] The boy likely came from a region of southwestern Nigeria near Benin City[1] known as the birthplace of voodoo.[5] Police think the boy may have been killed in a voodoo practice known as muti.[3]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Torso murder inquiry moves to Nigeria", BBC News, 27 February 2003, retrieved 6 May 2016
  2. 2.0 2.1 Crawford, Angus (2013-02-07). "Torso case boy 'identified'". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Butcher, Tim (19 April 2002), "Mandela's plea over torso boy", The Telegraph, Johannesburg, retrieved 6 May 2016
  4. Torso in the Thames (TV production). Channel 4 Television, UK. 2003.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Owen, James (10 February 2005), "London Witchcraft Murder Traced to Africa Child Trade", National Geographic, retrieved 6 May 2016