On this episode of Strange Matters we will be discussing two mysterious murder cases in Erdington, England. These particular murders share a striking number of similarities to each other.  The victims had the same birthday, were killed on the same day, died under similar circumstances, and whose bodies were discovered almost in the exact same area.  One might believe the murders would obviously be the work of a serial killer. However… the two murders took place 157 years apart.  

In 1817 Mary Ashford’s body was found drowned in a pit near her home.  The main suspect, Abraham Thornton, had been alone with her most of the night.  He was found with blood on his undergarments, his boots were a near match to those found at the scene of her death, and earlier suggestive comments made the night earlier led many to believe he had harmful intentions towards Mary.

In 1975 Barbara Forrest was dropped off at a bus stop to return home after a night of fun.  She never was seen actually getting on the bus however, and after a week of her missing Barbara’s body was found in a shallow ditch.  This time the main suspect was a man named Michael Thornton, a co-worker of Barbara.  He was also found with blood on him and a faulty alibi for that night.

Despite what looked like obvious motives and evidence, both men were acquitted of all crimes and let go.  The deaths of both young ladies remain a mystery in Erdington to this day.  What’s even stranger are the striking similar circumstances surrounding this case. Could there be some type of connection between these two murders?  Is this the work of a copy cat killer who was trying to duplicate the famous murder that happened over a century ago in the Erdington area?  We discuss all the possibilities to these two bizarre murder cases and why we think this mystery is so fascinating!

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