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Est. 2009

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You are here: Home / Cold Case News / Update on Adam

Update on Adam

July 6, 2011 By Alice

Torso "Adam" BBCWe have a tentative identification on Adam, the name given to the boy’s torso found in the Thames, UK.

“A boy of six whose torso was found mutilated in the Thames has been identified  ten years later. The tragic lad has been named as Ikpomwosa, from Nigeria, and a picture of  him  was released. Detectives believe the lad, who they called “Adam”, was smuggled to London to  be butchered in a twisted West African religious ceremony.”

In 2002, a woman of West African origin was arrested in Glasgow in connection with the murder of a young boy whose torso was found in the Thames in London. The child’s torso, clad only in a pair of orange shorts, was spotted floating in the Thames near Tower Bridge on 21 September, 2001. It had been in the water for up to 10 days. The boy was named Adam by police officers working on the inquiry.

Police have described the case as unprecedented. The boy, between four and seven­ years old, had been beheaded and his legs severed above the knee. His arms had been cut off and his atlas bone ­ the vertebra that supports the skull ­ had also been removed. Police followed the theory that he might been the victim of a ritual muti killing, in which body parts are taken for their supposed magical powers. Scotland Yard consulted a specialist South African police unit that investigates occult crimes. Read more here.

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Filed Under: Cold Case News, Forensics, Unidentified Tagged With: Adam, Autopsy, Child Abuse, Crime Scene, DNA, Forensics, UK, Unsolved Homicide

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Dina Fort

Author Notes

Since 2009, I write about unsolved cases that need renewed media attention. I only do research and leave active investigations to the authorities.

My posts cover homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to unsolved cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme, tone, and research. It is my prerogative to not review a book. Please check the FAQ page for more.

My databases are free to the public. Cases are sorted by the victim’s last name.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the About page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you cannot find the answers there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

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