We timeline the unsolved mystery of the Cleveland Torso Killer, or the “Mad Butcher” of Kingsbury Run, including his/their thirteen victims. We then discuss possible suspects, Frank Dolezol and Dr. Francis E. Sweeney, before ending with DNA testing underway.

CW | TW: This episode discusses murder, decapitation, dismemberment, and dissemination of body parts. There are graphic details of these events. Profanity may be included. Listener discretion is advised.

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Hosts: Harry Chambers + Drew Hudson

Logo Art: Drew Hudson

Theme Song Composer | Podcast Editor: Harry Chambers

Show Concept | Researcher | Lead Writer: Drew Hudson

Sources

Website: The Kingsbury Run Murders (Torso Killer) via Cleveland Police Museum (clevelandmuseum.org)

Book: In the Wake of the Butcher: Cleveland’s Torso Murders by Dr. James Jessen Badal (InternetArchive; archive.org)

Article: “The Torso Killer: Cleveland’s Lingering Mystery” via Cleveland Public Library (cpl.org)

Article: “Torso Murders” via Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (Case Western Reserve University; case.edu)

Article: “Eliot Ness” via EBSCO (EBSCO.com)

Article: “Ness, Eliot” via Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (Case Western Reserve University; case.edu)

Article: “Eliot Ness” via Biography.com

Article: “A Byte Out of History: Eliot Ness and the FBI” via FBI Archives (archives.fbi.gov)

Article: “Nearly A Century After The ‘Torso Killer’ Terrorized Cleveland, DNA Testing Is Underway To Identify Victims” by Kerry Breen (CBS News; cbsnews.com)

Article: “Solving the Cleveland Torso Murders” by Erick Trickey (Cleveland Magazine; clevelandmagazine.com)

Article: “First Victims of Torso Killer to Undergo DNA Testing for Identification Revealed” by Sara Goldenberg (Cleveland 19; cleveland19.com)

Article: “Getting A Leg Up: A Brief History of Prosthetics Through the Lens of Our Collection” via Museum of Health at Kingston Blog (museumofhealthcare.blog)

Article: “ArtiFacts: Built for Speed–Robert Liston’s Surgical Technique” by Alan J. Hawk (National Library of Medicine; pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Article: “The 1930s Scientist Who Popularized A Terrifying Brain Surgery” by Jennifer Wright (TheCut; thecut.com; non-paywalled)

Article: “The Historical Use of Restraints in Asylums” by Shawn Logan (Kentucky Historic Institutions; kyhi.org)

Article: “Infant Skeletons Found Wrapped in 1930s Newspapers” by Nardine Saad (NBC News; nbcnews.com)

Article: “So-Called ‘Mad Butcher’ Terrorizes Cleveland” by History.com Editors

Article: “The Ruxton Murders - 1935” via The Glasgow Police Museum (policemuseum.org.uk)

Article: “Cleveland’s Serial ‘Torso Killer’ Was Even More Vicious Than Jack the Ripper” by Todd Farley (New York Post; nypost.com)

Mugshot: Florence (Flo) Pollilo via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org)

Series: Cleveland Stories: James Badal via TV20 Cleveland (YT)

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